


CSI: Results

by fhsa_archivist



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Angst, Case Fic, Drama, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-11
Updated: 2006-02-15
Packaged: 2019-02-05 17:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 106,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12799149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fhsa_archivist/pseuds/fhsa_archivist
Summary: none





	1. Chapter 1  Giving Results

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Haven, the archivist: This story was originally archived at [Fandom Haven Story Archive (FHSA)](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_Haven_Story_Archive), was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2016. To preserve the archive, I began working with the OTW to transfer the stories to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. If you are this creator and the work hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Fandom Haven Story Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/fhsa/profile).

  
Author's notes: Sanders gets results, in and out of the lab.  


* * *

Warrick strode through the corridors of the crime lab alongside Nick, easily keeping pace with his partner. Shift was almost over and they were both eager to close the case. Warrick because he'd been working doubles all week and he was ready for a night off, and Nick because he had a breakfast date.

 

"Sanders," Warrick called as they walked into the DNA lab, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Greg to notice them and turn off his music. Greg swiveled around in his chair, pushing off with his feet and letting the momentum bring him across the lab to Nick and Warrick.

 

"Yes?" he asked innocently, as if he didn't know they were there for a reason. Warrick could see the paper with their results waiting on the printer; well, they were at least someone's results, hopefully theirs.

 

Warrick sent a cool look to Greg, who wasn't affected in the least by Warrick's stare. Greg could be exasperating at times, but Warrick played the optimist and decided this was a good thing. Because if Greg didn't have the results they wanted, he wouldn't be working up a big presentation, would've just given them the results so they wouldn't bite his head off later. Greg was a smart kid. "Results from our homicide?"

 

The look on Greg's face could've been interpreted as an epiphany, but Warrick knew better. Greg was just playing with them. Warrick arched an eyebrow, waiting for Greg's spiel, but Nick interrupted before Greg could answer. "Cmon, G, some of us wanna get outta here before tomorrow."

 

Warrick exchanged a glance with Greg, who smirked slightly. It was so slight that Warrick was probably the only one who noticed it. Warrick knew Greg better than the rest of them, and he knew what to look for. And he knew before Nick did what Greg was going to say. "Hot date?" Greg teased, winking at both of them before he swiveled around in his chair and pushed off toward the printer, snatching the results and then getting up from the chair to walk back to them.

 

"None of your business," Nick retorted, visibly trying to hide his amusement as he rolled his eyes at Warrick. Warrick chuckled and grinned at Greg, well aware that Nick actually enjoyed bragging about his girlfriends to anyone who would listen. Greg and Warrick had discussed this topic in depth, deciding that Nick was either deeply in the closet, or that he'd had such a hard time getting girls when he was younger that he felt compelled to brag about each victory. They tended to humor Nick, given the fact that if they listened to him ramble on, he'd be more likely to put up with Greg's quirkiness and Warrick's occassional temper.

 

"Aw, cmon," Greg almost-whined. He held the results up against his chest, the peak of his wrist right at his collarbone just below the second button of his paisley green shirt. The first button was undone, making the collar look even wider and exposing a triangle of smooth, pale skin that Warrick knew was representative of the rest of his body. Greg leaned forward and set his elbows on the lab bench, his free hand coming up to cradle his chin as he gazed up at Nick. "You share your secrets, I'll share mine." The last word was said in a sing-song tone, Greg rustling the results in his hand to emphasize just how tempting his offer was.

 

Warrick knew Nick's face would be flushed even without looking. Nick scoffed, but gave in after a few seconds, lounging casually against one of the instruments before he noticed Greg's immediate glare and quickly stepped away from what was, as Greg often reprimanded them, not furniture. "I met her at a square dance," Nick said in full seriousness, ignoring the amused grin that twitched at Greg's lips. "She's a accountant and she's from Louisiana. You should hear her accent, man. It's like bein' back at home."

 

"I thought 'home' was in Texas," Greg said dryly, clearly unimpressed. Warrick was pretty sure Greg'd been hoping for different details, ones that would've been more appropriate in a locker room, but this time Nick wasn't obliging.

 

"It's still the south," Nick defended himself, his own accent thickening. "We don't talk like y'all do."

 

"No kidding," Greg said sarcastically. Seeming to realize that he wouldn't be getting anywhere with Nick, Greg handed over the results, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his attention to Warrick. "Blood your fingerprint was in matches your suspect," he said shortly. They both watched as Nick clutched the results triumphantly, obviously relieved that he'd be getting out in time to see his girl. Smiling, Warrick shook his head as Nick walked away, on his way to do paperwork without even asking Warrick which of them would do it. The possibility of getting laid was a good motivator, it seemed, and the possibility of not getting laid made a lab tech grumpy. Warrick didn't realize he was staring at Greg until Greg glared up at him, his brown eyes flecked with his hazel due to the color of his shirt. "What?" he demanded.

 

Warrick just laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets to help resist the urge to reach out and mess up Greg's hair. Just because they slept together every once in a while didn't mean they were affectionate. "You need to get laid, man," he said calmly, his eyes catching Greg's for a moment before he turned to walk out of the lab. He could feel Greg still staring at him, or maybe it was wishful thinking. Warrick knew he wouldn't mind if it happened again.


	2. Chapter 2  Getting Results

  
Author's notes: Sanders gets results, in and out of the lab.  


* * *

Warrick checked in with Nick before he left, making sure all the paperwork was done and he was free to go. After a quick change of clothes in the locker room and splashing some water on his face to wash away some of the toll the long night had taken on him, as usual, Warrick headed out to the parking lot, more than ready for a day of sleep followed by a well-deserved night off.

 

The passenger door opened just as Warrick put the keys in the ignition, followed by a slam and a short, "Drive." Warrick leaned back in the driver's seat, turned his head, and arched an eyebrow at Greg. Greg merely raised his eyebrows right back at Warrick.

 

"'scuse me?" It was hard to keep the chuckle out of his voice, because he knew exactly what Greg was doing, and although Greg wasn't exactly charming when he was impatient like this, there something endearing about the fact that Greg didn't bother to be polite.

 

"Drive and I'll suck you off once we get away from the lab," Greg corrected himself.

 

Warrick started the engine. "Just's long's you don't suck me off while I'm driving," he muttered, but he had to admit that his dick liked the idea.

 

He didn't have to look at Greg to know he was rolling his eyes. It was usually like this between them, acting like it didn't mean anything, sometimes even snapping at each other. But it worked for them. And Warrick appreciated the fact that Greg had taken his earlier accusation as an invitation.

 

Although, Warrick knew, getting sucked off wouldn't be the highlight for either of them. It had become obvious, over the course of several encounters, that they were both bottoms, both preferred sucking cock to getting sucked off, preferred getting fucked over doing the fucking. It had led to more than one argument and, more often than not, made the actual process take longer because they had to decide who was on the bottom. Recently they'd realized that the best solution was to alternate so they could both get the most out of their encounters.

 

"My place," Greg said before Warrick could ask, and Warrick didn't argue. Greg had work tonight, so it made sense for him to be where he could easily get ready when it was time to go. Warrick didn't know if he'd be staying the day, as he did sometimes. It usually depended on whether or not they passed out right after the sex.

 

Greg hopped out of the Yukon before Warrick could even take the keys out of the ignition. Chuckling to himself, Warrick locked the car and took his time following Greg into the house, hanging his keys on one of the hooks by the doorway. Greg was already in the kitchen brewing some coffee, and Warrick was pretty sure he'd be staying a while today.

 

He could've reminded Greg about the offer to suck him off, but really, that could wait. It would happen eventually, and neither of them had to bring it up. Warrick was just as content to hang out with Greg, drink his coffee and play video games as he was to have sex with him. That was the great thing about their relationship. Friends with benefits, no strings, no commitments. They both dated other people, but neither of them were looking for anything serious, and when they wanted to blow off some steam, they had each other. It didn't mean anything and at the same time, it meant a lot to have someone like Greg in his life.

 

Following Greg's lead, Warrick poured himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast, going to the fridge to get milk. They could've cooked or gone to Antony's, but Warrick wasn't all that hungry and Greg did have to work tonight.

 

"Coffee?" Greg asked, even though Warrick already had orange juice, too. Warrick liked to have two drinks with his meals, one cold and one hot, and Greg knew that. Warrick nodded and they ate together in silence, heading for the couch in front of the Playstation after cleaning up.

 

They were halfway through the first race when Warrick couldn't stand it anymore. Greg was focused intently on the game, tilting and swaying with the motion of his car, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He barely even noticed when Warrick put a hand on his thigh, but by the time Warrick had the tongue of Greg's zipper between his fingers, Greg's attention was fully on him. Warrick heard Greg's car crash in the background as he pulled Greg's unzipped jeans down to his ankles, giving Greg room to part his knees so Warrick could settle in between.

 

"Yeah," Greg whispered even before Warrick had the condom out. Warrick smiled, amused by the level of responsiveness he knew would only increase over the next few minutes. Greg's fingers were already tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, making the job of getting the condom on more difficult but somehow Warrick managed before he closed his lips around the head of Greg's cock.

 

Greg needed this more than Warrick did, that was for sure. Warrick was just starting to get hard but he could tell Greg'd been like this for a while. Maybe getting sucked off would be the highlight for Greg this time, which worked out great for both of them. Warrick pulled back with a slight smile, glancing up to see Greg's face tense with anticipation, his eyes sliding shut as his fingers twitched anxiously in Warrick's hair.

 

He grasped the base in his hand, his fingers spreading up through the pale hair at the base of Greg's cock, pressing firmly to balance himself as he leaned forward and took more than before. Greg whimpered and spread his legs wider, tightening his fingers in Warrick's hair, bringing his other hand down to cup the back of Warrick's neck.

 

Opening wide, Warrick was able to take most of Greg's cock, his throat closing up for a moment when the head hit the back of his mouth. Warrick pulled back and tried again, this time easing forward more slowly, eyes dropping closed as Greg's cock filled his mouth, then teased the opening of his throat before it closed up again. Pulling back, Warrick concentrated on Greg's shaft, bobbing his head enthusiastically until his throat was relaxed enough to take the head of Greg's cock. Greg was moaning and writhing above him, clutching at Warrick's hair with both hands, and Warrick moved his hands to Greg's hips, encouraging Greg to fuck his mouth. Greg did so without restraint, making Warrick's eyes roll back behind his eyelids. Then Greg was coming, whimpering, filling the condom with warmth, fingers clenching at Warrick's hair in rhythm with the pulses of his cock. When Greg was finished, Warrick sat back on his heels, gazing up at Greg with glazed eyes.

 

"Yeah," Greg whispered again, and Warrick grinned.


	3. Chapter 3  Contact

  
Author's notes: Greg makes contact in bed.  


* * *

Warrick didn't expect or even want Greg to return the favor right away. They'd both gotten what they wanted out of the encounter so far, and once Greg was cleaned up, they could spend the rest of the morning hanging out until it was time to go to sleep. Warrick didn't always assume that he was invited to stay, but when Greg got up to get ready for bed without saying a word to Warrick, that was enough to let him know he was welcome. If Greg wanted him to leave, there'd be goodbyes, maybe a few grins passed between them before Warrick took off to sleep at his own place. Today, Greg didn't want him to leave.

 

He cleaned up in the spare bathroom to save time, so by the time he was done he could climb into bed with Greg. Greg was rummaging around in the nightstand, which meant they were probably going to have sex again, so Warrick grinned to himself as he rolled onto his stomach. It would be good, just like it always was, and if he passed out when it was over, maybe tonight he'd wake up with Greg spooning against his back. It was something he liked, even if it wasn't something he could ask for. They fucked, they didn't cuddle. And Warrick had no way of knowing if Greg wanted to take it to the next, more intimate, step like Warrick did. Even if that step was just holding each other without sex being involved.

 

"Unh-uh," Greg said, shaking his head as he turned back from the nightstand. Warrick raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, waiting for Greg to explain. For the moment, he just looked. Greg was completely naked, hard again, a the corner of a wrapped condom in his mouth, gloves in one hand and lube in another. Which didn't necessarily mean Greg wasn't going to fuck him, but short of reading Warrick's mind, why would Greg be saying no?

 

Greg crawled over to Warrick, nudging him with a bare hand as he pulled a glove onto his right. Warrick obediently rolled onto his back, an idea of what Greg had in mind starting to form but he wasn't about to make any assumptions. "Yeah," Greg murmured, smiling as his eyes flickered up to meet Warrick's for a second before he looked back down toward Warrick's cock. Pulling on the second glove, Greg settled in between Warrick's legs, stroking the top of Warrick's thigh with one hand. Spreading his legs even further, Warrick settled back against the pillows, folding his arms above his head so he wouldn't reach out and try to touch Greg. He'd done that once, and Greg had stared at him like he had an extra head growing out of his neck. Warrick hadn't tried it again.

 

Greg's gloved fingers were firm and warm around his cock, making him harder before putting on the condom. Warrick'd already been the bottom once today, so he realized Greg was probably going to ride him. He had no complaints about that.

 

But instead of straddling Warrick's hips, Greg stayed on his knees and leaned forward, bowing his head to take Warrick's cock in his mouth. Oh, that was unexpected, but exactly what Greg had promised him in the car. Exhaling softly, Warrick closed his eyes, wondering how far Greg was going to take this. They both knew a blowjob alone would only get Warrick hard. He hadn't gotten off from just a blowjob since college. Hopefully, the gloves on Greg's hands meant there was going to be more.

 

And more there was. At first, all Warrick could do was arch into the pleasant sensation of Greg's mouth around his cock, his lips closed as firmly as possible around Warrick's shaft and his tongue flickering back and forth with each bob of his head. It was enough to make Warrick groan, enough to make him wonder if this time Greg's mouth would be enough.

 

Before he could wonder for long, he felt Greg's fingers at his hole, slicking him with lube and then slipping inside. Groaning, Warrick lifted his legs to plant his feet on the mattress on either side of Greg's knees, levering himself up to give Greg better access, in effect giving Greg a better angle to find his prostate. It was moments like these that Warrick was able to forget all the things he was all too aware of when he wasn't in the middle of sex; the cases he worked at the lab, the fact that he wanted more than sex with Greg. The pleasure, the fullness of Greg's fingers, stroking in and out like the best kind of fuck, more coordinated than he could ever be with his cock, that was enough for Warrick to let go, to think of nothing but the ecstasy building, thrumming through his body, shocks of sensation ever time Greg pressed up with his fingertips. Greg's head was still bobbing, more furiously now, sucking enthusiastically as he stroked with his fingers in time with Warrick's labored breathing.

 

He came with a half-grunt, half-groan, Greg's fingers holding steady pressure to his prostate until his cock slipped out of Greg's mouth, soft and wet against the left side of Warrick's stomach, just above his groin. As he came down from the high of coming, he felt Greg's fingers slip out gently, the back of his hand brushing against the inside of Warrick's thigh as breathing became easier and easier. There was a soft but firm sensation against his right groin and it took Warrick a second to realize it was Greg's lips, pressing a kiss to the crease of skin before abruptly pulling away.

 

Not sure what to think of it, Warrick stayed where he was, letting Greg clean him up and letting Greg think he hadn't noticed. When Greg came back from the bathroom, he met Warrick's eyes with his own, a soft smile on his lips before he turned onto his right side, away from Warrick, the way he always slept. And Warrick knew what was going to happen. Once it was clear Greg was asleep, he'd move to the other side of the bed to spoon around Greg, the way he sometimes ended up doing in his sleep anyway. Greg wouldn't know the difference, and Warrick would stay there until Greg got up for dinner. Until then, he could pretend Greg wanted that, wanted to be held, and Warrick could take comfort in having Greg safe and sound in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4  Embrace

  
Author's notes: The evening after.  


* * *

There was something different about tonight. At first, Warrick couldn't figure out what it was. They were both naked, neither of them having gotten dressed after their interlude that morning. There was nothing unusual about that, or about the fact that Warrick's arms were wrapped around Greg. But Greg's right knee had slipped between Warrick's legs, and Greg's breath whispered against his skin. Greg had rolled over in Warrick's arms to face him. That was unusual.

 

Warrick didn't breathe. So many times he'd hoped that Greg would acknowledge that Warrick was holding him without it turning into a fuck, so many times he'd hoped that Greg would be the one to hold him. This was exactly what Warrick wanted. Greg in his arms, facing him, his lips only inches from Warrick's skin. They'd done so much together, but they'd never kissed. Maybe tonight would be the night Greg would kiss him.

 

He didn't have much time to hope, though. Even before Greg's alarm went off, he shifted in his sleep, humming quietly as he nuzzled against Warrick in a full-body rub. Warrick smiled and loosened his arms, allowing Greg to move as much as he wanted. Then swallowed back his disappointment when Greg rolled over in his arms, then out of them, sprawling out on his stomach and slipping back into an even deeper sleep. Greg's body was heavy, his face turned away from Warrick, arms wrapped around a pillow. He was out like a light.

 

When it became clear that Warrick wouldn't be getting back to sleep tonight, he pushed himself out of bed with a sigh. He must have imagined the kiss last night, or else it was a fluke. After one long glance at Greg over his shoulder, Warrick headed for the shower. It wasn't the first time he'd been jealous of a pillow.


	5. Chapter 5  Selfless

  
Author's notes: Warrick thinks about the way things are.  


* * *

In the shower, Warrick berated himself for assuming that Greg didn't want to kiss him. Just because Greg rolled away didn't mean he didn't want Warrick to hold him. He'd been asleep, after all. Greg didn't know what he was doing. So why was it that Greg only got that close, face to face, when he was asleep? That was what Warrick was really upset about, if he'd let himself admit it. When they were awake, Greg raised his eyebrows at intimacy, but in his sleep, Greg could be affectionate.

 

Warrick didn't know how to interpret that. Maybe it meant there was hope, that something made Greg hold back when he was awake but in his sleep, he acted naturally. The other possibility was upsetting, though. Maybe Greg only got close in his sleep because he just liked to be close, that Warrick was a warm body and not something more. Sure, Greg seemed to care about him as a friend, but what if the reason he didn't get that close when he was awake was because he didn't return Warrick's feelings and didn't want to lead him on? It was possible that Greg thought the sex was just a benefit of their friendship, and didn't want to turn their arrangement into a romantic relationship.

 

The reality was hard for Warrick to swallow. He'd never approached sex casually the way Greg seemed to, but he'd made an exception in Greg's case because he'd assumed there was the potential for more. They'd had a lot of sex in the past seven or so months, but if things hadn't moved forward by now, maybe Warrick would have to accept that there wouldn't ever be more than sex between them. If that was the case, he would have to decide if he could live with that.

 

"I'm gonna flush the toilet," Greg warned from right outside the shower, and Warrick reacted instinctively, stepping out of the spray just before it went cold. Greg didn't say anything else yet, no 'good evening' or 'how'd you sleep' or anything like that. They'd never spent much time on niceties, though. Courtesy and small talk were reserved for the break room at work. And Warrick wondered if he should've paid more attention to things like that all along.

 

Rinsing off once the water was warm again, Warrick turned the water off and pushed the shower curtain aside, reaching for a towel to dry off so he wouldn't drip all over the floor. Greg was standing over the sink, wearing nothing but shaving cream and not for long. Warrick didn't pretend not to look as Greg made quick work of a day's growth of stubble, swiping away at hair and cream with a razor.

 

Almost finished, Greg turned his head enough to glance at Warrick with a wicked grin, his eyes flickering down to the skin exposed as Warrick briskly rubbed himself dry and then back up to Warrick's face. "Why'd you start without me?" he complained, turning on the tap to rinse off the razor, setting it aside and reaching for a washcloth to wipe the residue off his face. "I could've washed your back."

 

Warrick's expression hardened, but Greg didn't seem to notice, his attention drawn instead to Warrick's obvious interest elsewhere. Greg washing his back meant getting fucked in the shower, and Warrick's body was too tuned into to Greg's not to respond. It distracted Greg, at least, from Warrick's displeasure with Greg's suggestion. Sure, sex with Greg was always great, but he'd just been thinking about how he wanted more. Couldn't they go one night without flirting or innuendo or actual sex? They could, technically, because it wasn't every day that Greg demanded Warrick's company for the express purpose of sex. It had actually been about three weeks since the last time they hooked up, but not that long since they'd just hung out. Warrick liked hanging out as much as the sex, maybe even more. And it wasn't that Warrick wanted Greg to act like nothing had happened on those days when it turned into sex instead of hanging out, or if sex had been the whole point. It was just that when they did have sex, Greg didn't seem to think of anything else. Depending on Greg's behavior, they were either buddies or sex partners. But never both at the same time. And never lovers.

 

All right, Warrick knew he had no right to expect Greg to be his lover. Ever since he'd fallen into bed with Greg that first time, he'd known Greg didn't want a commitment. It was part lust, part denial, that allowed Warrick to ignore that knowledge, at least at first. He'd just assumed that over time, Greg would choose. That he'd realize that Warrick was enough for him and he didn't need to sleep with other people, because he could have Warrick whenever he wanted because Warrick didn't want anyone else. But that hadn't happened. And Warrick was starting to doubt that it ever would.

 

Of course, they hadn't discussed it. For all Warrick knew, Greg wasn't sleeping with other people anymore. But if that was the case, why hadn't they stopped using protection? If he was the only person Greg was sleeping with, they wouldn't always have to use condoms and gloves. Unless, of course, Greg was sick, and a selfish part of Warrick wished that Greg was just sick and that was why they always had to use latex. It made Warrick a little sick that he wanted Greg to be sick instead of free to see whomever he wanted, because Warrick had agreed to that. And Greg's health was more important than Warrick's selfish need to be one of only two people in a relationship. If this even was a relationship. But what kind of relationship was it when he had to share Greg with the rest of the world?

 

Warrick had to let himself accept the possibility that he'd always have to share Greg. But an even bigger, more old-fashioned, part of Warrick insisted that he had to give Greg the benefit of the doubt. After all, Greg hadn't actually said he was still sleeping with other people. Maybe he was sick. And in that case, Warrick would be there for him, feeling bad that Greg was sick, but feeling good that he was the only one Greg wanted.

 

"Of course, you're already squeaky-clean," Greg commented, a mock look of disappointment on his face as he moved closer. Warrick studied his face carefully, but he couldn't find any clues to Greg's thought other than his obvious interest in Warrick's cock, Greg's own cock already half hard. Warrick hissed out a breath when Greg trailed a finger along the length of Warrick's cock, hard and sensitive to the touch. Greg licked his lower lip and looked up at Warrick through his lashes, a look that made Warrick remember why he'd fallen in lust with his friend. "I'll be right back," Greg promised, tracing Warrick's groin with a fingertip before he spun around and turned back to the bedroom.

 

Warrick took a deep breath and stepped out of the shower, hanging the wet towel over the curtain rod. As turned on as he and Greg both were, Warrick knew why Greg had left. He'd gone back to the bedroom to get condoms.

 

Greg's grin lit up his whole face when he'd returned, condoms and lube and gloves in hand. Warrick couldn't return the grin. He knew that safety was important, but dammit, all this did was remind him that he wasn't the only one Greg was sleeping with. Warrick couldn't begrudge Greg the freedom of playing the field, but at the same time, Warrick hated the feeling that he was being played. That he was sharing Greg's bed with meaningless strangers, and that maybe that meant he was meaningless, too.

 

Greg's grin had faded to a smile and then completely disappeared, his focus intent on Warrick. Warrick hated being responsible for that look on Greg's face, so he shoved away his insecurity and disappointment, smiling softly at Greg. Maybe he cared too much, he thought with a mental shrug, but he wouldn't be himself if he didn't. Maybe he didn't have all of Greg, but Greg had all of him. And maybe Warrick was at a point in his life where he wanted to settle down and Greg wasn't ready for that. Of course he wasn't. Greg was so young, so full of life. Warrick couldn't begrudge him that. He couldn't let what he wanted take away the smile on Greg's face.

 

"What?" Greg's cock was still hard, but his arms hung limply by his sides, the wicked look that'd been on his face replaced by something a lot less confident. Warrick shook his head and reached for Greg, intending to pull him closer, but Greg hung back. Greg's head was cocked, a million questions in his eyes as he studied Warrick curiously.

 

"It's nothing," Warrick said with a shake of his head and a bigger smile, but Greg didn't look convinced. Instead, he crossed his arms over his waist in a rare show of uncertainty. "Okay," Warrick consented, glancing down and indicating the items in Greg's hands. "I was just wondering if we really need to use those all the time."

 

They'd never actually discussed it. The protection. What they'd discussed, or rather, what Greg had told him, was that there were other people, and Greg wanted to cover all the bases. Warrick had never argued, not once. Being clean was more important than being bareback.

 

Greg looked away for a moment, a pink flush spreading over his cheeks. Warrick didn't know if it was embarrassment or guilt. All he knew was that he'd never seen Greg act self-conscious in any way. "Well, yeah," he said quietly, his arms tightening around his waist. He looked up at Warrick through his lashes again, but this time it was endearing rather than hot. Which was odd, because how could it be endearing when Greg was admitting that he was still sleeping with other people? "We gotta be safe."

 

"But you're clean, right?" Warrick argued. He didn't know why he was pushing so hard. He was pushing for something he wouldn't get, pushing for an admission from Greg that he wasn't clean, that the only reason they had to use protection was because Greg already had something, not because there were other people. Which made Warrick wonder what the hell was wrong with him, because he cared about Greg. A lot. Maybe even loved him. It was twisted, it was selfish to want Greg not to be clean just so Warrick could feel like he was the only one.

 

Greg's silent nod was the answer Warrick should have expected. Greg was looking at the floor instead of at him, his arms tight around his waist, teeth biting down on his bottom lip. Warrick hated himself for doing this to Greg, for making him look like this, like there was something he should feel guilty about. Warrick had never interrogated him before. There was no reason to start now. Dammit, so what if he had to share Greg? At least Greg was in his life. And Warrick would take that however he could get it.

 

Warrick reached down and slowly peeled Greg's fingers away from the items he held, taking the lube and condoms and gloves and putting them on the sink by Greg's razor. When he turned back, Greg was still hugging himself, still looking down. In the back of his mind, Warrick wondered why Greg still had sex with other people if being reminded of it made him feel this bad, but he'd already done enough damage with his questions. It was time to make amends.

 

This time when he reached for Greg, Greg didn't pull away. He allowed Warrick to hold him, and even though he didn't return the embrace, Warrick knew it was a step in the right direction. Greg huddled into the hug, his arms loosening around his waist, and Warrick sighed with relief. Maybe for once, he'd actually done the right thing. He took it a step further by pressing his lips to Greg's forhead, noting with some surprise how Greg's arms suddenly came around him. He was dying to see Greg's face, the look in Greg's eyes, always so full of expression that Warrick could tell what Greg was thinking just by looking into his eyes. But Greg's face was buried against Warrick's chest, and then he pulled away, looking up and meeting Warrick's eyes with a smile that was actually shy.

 

"I gotta take a shower," he whispered, trailing his finger down Warrick's stomach before he took a step back. Warrick shivered slightly, his interest renewed, but Greg just grinned and reached up for the towel, whipping it off the curtain rod and snapping Warrick's ass with it. Warrick jumped in surprise and Greg laughed joyfully, dropping the towel on top of the closed toilet seat before climbing into the shower. Mystified by the change in events, but relieved to see Greg smiling again, Warrick grinned and sagged back against the sink, watching as Greg pulled the shower curtain closed.

 

"I'll go make dinner," he offered, listening for Greg's hummed reply. Shaking his head with a grin, Warrick headed for the bedroom, pulling on a pair of boxers before he headed for the kitchen. It was a start.


	6. Chapter 6  Simmer

  
Author's notes: Something simmers between them.  


* * *

The chili was simmering on the stove, coffee almost finished when Warrick felt Greg's eyes on him. He smiled at Greg over his shoulder, then went back to stirring the chili, holding up a spoonful when Greg joined him by the counter.

 

"Taste," he said, and Greg obediently leaned forward, closing his lips around the spoon before pulling back and nodding in approval. Grinning, Warrick put the spoon back in the chili, starting to stir again.

 

Greg wasn't going anywhere. He was standing beside Warrick, watching him cook, and Warrick sent him another smile. Greg unexpectedly lifted his hand, trailing the back of it over Warrick's cheek, running his fingers over the day's worth of stubble. "You don't have work tonight," Greg murmured thoughtfully, and Warrick realized Greg was wondering why he hadn't shaved. Warrick nodded, turning off the stove to look down at Greg.

 

There was a cautious look in Greg's eyes. He seemed to be gauging Warrick's reaction to the touch, and Warrick didn't pull away, but he didn't move closer, either. He wanted to see where Greg was planning to go with this and he didn't want to put any pressure on him, either. It would have been such a natural thing to lean in and kiss Greg, but they didn't kiss. Maybe there was a reason for that. So Warrick wasn't going to push, not until he was sure Greg was ready.

 

Slowly, Greg lifted his other hand, bringing it up to trace his fingertips along the other side of Warrick's face, turning his other hand over so his fingers on both hands were on Warrick's skin. Greg looked thoughtful, intent, and Warrick wished he could tell what Greg was thinking. When Greg looked up at him, he was fairly sure that Greg was thinking about kissing him. Greg's fingers were light on his skin and his eyes had dropped to Warrick's mouth. Warrick held his breath as Greg bit his lower lip, looking deep in thought.

 

Then the phone rang. Startled, Greg pulled away, his eyes lingering on Warrick's mouth before he swung around, going into the other room to answer his cell. "Sanders," Warrick heard him say, and Warrick let out a breath, blinking himself back into reality so he could set out dinner for both of them.

 

***

 

He was pretty sure Greg had been going to kiss him. He was even more sure that Greg had wanted to, even though he hadn't gone through with it. That more than anything was a clue, but to what, Warrick didn't know. All he knew was that Greg wasn't ready for the next step, but Warrick would be right there when he was.

 

He drove Greg to work since Greg's car was still there. The first few minutes of the short drive was silent, but Warrick knew he couldn't just say goodnight. He needed reassurances, he needed to know that Greg knew it was okay, that he hadn't gone too far. He needed Greg to know that Warrick wasn't about to pull away from whatever was happening between them. Warrick liked to think it was a deeper bond, maybe even a real relationship, but he couldn't let himself hope for something Greg had sworn he didn't want. Greg didn't want a commitment. Warrick couldn't let himself hope that that had changed.

 

That didn't mean their friendship had to suffer, though. Warrick was willing to show that he was there for Greg, that he wasn't going anywhere. And he wanted to remind Greg, too, that Warrick cared about more than just the sex.

 

Taking his eyes away from the road for a split second, Warrick glanced over at Greg, a smile spreading his lips at the sight of Greg leaning thoughtfully against the window, a little smile playing on his own face. Wondering what Greg was thinking about, Warrick turned his focus back to the road, but not before Greg glanced up and their eyes met in a smile.

 

"You wanna hang out after work?" he asked, glancing at Greg again to see his smile widening, head bobbing enthusiastically in agreement. If Warrick didn't know better, he'd think Greg was relieved. Maybe he didn't know better. Chuckling to himself, Warrick returned his attention to the road, loosening his hands on the steering wheel. He hadn't even realized how tense he'd been.

 

"Oh wait," Greg said suddenly, and Warrick could hear the way Greg's smile had disappeared, could see out of the corner of his eye how Greg was fidgeting in his seat. "I can't. I have a date."

 

"Oh," Warrick responded, not sure what else to say at first. Greg had a date tomorrow morning and he didn't seem too happy about it. So why was he going on a date? Unless he was just upset about disappointing Warrick, but that still didn't explain why Greg would voluntarily do something that didn't make him happy.

 

"I'm sorry," Greg murmured, sounding insecure, leaning heavily against the door again. Warrick shook his head, reaching over to squeeze Greg's knee as they pulled into the crime lab parking lot.

 

"It's okay," Warrick assured him. "We can hang out some other time." He was disappointed, but he'd already made the decision not to push Greg into anything he wasn't ready for, even if that was a committed relationship, something Warrick was more than ready for. He wasn't sure when he'd started wanting that so badly, when it had become more about Greg being the one he was in a relationship with than about Warrick's traditional mindset that dating was between two people at a time. He knew he'd done the right thing, though, when Greg smiled gratefully at him, putting his hand over Warrick's on his knee briefly before opening the passenger side door and slipping out of the car to get to work.

 

"See you tomorrow night," Greg said with a grin, his words reminding Warrick that he shouldn't stop by Greg's tomorrow morning because Greg would be there with a date. Warrick tried not to show his reaction to that, instead smiling because he was looking forward to seeing Greg again, no matter when it was.

 

"See you then," he promised, and headed home.


	7. Chapter 7  Temper

  
Author's notes: Warrick needs time to temper his reaction.  


* * *

When the hell had Greg made a date? If he'd known he had a date the next morning, why would he have forgotten so easily? Greg had seemed glad, even eager, that Warrick wanted to hang out the next morning, and he'd answered so quickly that it was like he didn't even have to think of it. Didn't that mean something to Greg? Didn't he realize that if he liked spending time with Warrick that much, it meant more than some stupid date?

 

Warrick tried to give Greg the benefit of the doubt, but it was pretty difficult when their conversation didn't make any sense. A date with some stranger was more important to Greg than spending time with one of his best friends. The worst part of it was that it defied logic to think that Greg had made the date before he'd invited Warrick over the previous morning. Which meant that Greg had to've made the date that night, with whoever was on the phone. Because otherwise Greg would've told him about it sooner, so he could've been prepared.

 

But no. Greg had gone ahead and made a date with someone while Warrick was in the kitchen, cooking them both dinner. He'd made a date with someone just after he'd almost kissed Warrick. The thought made Warrick pause, made him wonder if maybe there was something about the almost-kiss that scared Greg into pulling away even more. But why did Greg have to be afraid of a kiss?

 

Warrick knew it didn't make any sense. None of this did. Which was why it was a good thing that Greg was buried in evidence by the time Warrick got to the crime lab, frantically trying to catch up on the backlog dayshift had left behind. It was good for both of them because if they'd had a chance to talk, Warrick probably would've started a fight.

 

Greg had seen Warrick's temper before, but never directed at him. Warrick's temper let loose when cases got personal, when his personal life got mixed up with the job and when his personal life went to shit, period. It was one thing to take his temper out on perps or lab supplies, but Warrick didn't want to lash out at someone he cared about. It was a steep slope, and Warrick knew that even though he'd never been a victim of abuse, if he didn't keep his temper in check he might be guilty of the very thing he despised in so many of the people they brought in.

 

So it was a good thing Warrick wouldn't have a chance to talk to Greg before work. He was probably blowing the thing out of proportion, but he had a tendency to do that. Distance would be a good thing tonight. He could focus his energy on whatever case went his way, letting the work, whether it would be intellectual or physical tonight, diffuse his temper so that by the time he saw Greg, he'd have it under control.

 

***

 

Warrick mentally prepared himself for George Strait or Garth Brooks or whoever it was Nick usually blasted in his Tahoe, and insisted on singing along to during the drive to the crime scene. So it was a surprise to hear some decent R&B coming out of Nick's stereos instead of the usual. Nothing he knew by name, but at least it wasn't country.

 

Nick must've noticed Warrick's curious look because he was blushing as he quickly changed the station back to some wailing song about a girlfriend who left him, shifting into drive and avoiding looking at Warrick for a few minutes. Warrick knew that Nick knew him too well, though, and that Nick knew if he didn't tell Warrick what the deal was, Warrick would tease it out of him by the time the night was over.

 

"Lori Ann likes it," Nick said defensively, and Warrick laughed.

 

"Lori Ann?" he asked, and Nick shrugged, trying not to grin. "Your girl from yesterday?" Warrick smiled knowingly when Nick nodded in the affirmative, still not looking at him. "Did it work?"

 

"Did what work?" Nick demanded unconvincingly, and Warrick laughed again. Then Nick turned to face him, and Warrick knew he was in for it. "Hey, at least I didn't spend three hundred bucks on a handbag to impress a girl."

 

Warrick chuckled disbelievingly, absently tapping out a rhythm on his knees as he leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, well, I didn't have to impress her. She was my girlfriend. It was just a gift."

 

"Riiight," Nick drawled, "and the Superbowl is just a football game."

 

Warrick raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He and Nick could throw around the macho bullshit all night, but that wasn't nearly as fun as making Nick uncomfortable. Warrick was supposed to have the upper hand in this conversation. It was Nick, after all. Their entire relationship was based on solving cases together and one-upping each other. "Keep it up," Warrick warned, "and I won't get you that handbag for Christmas."

 

Nick didn't miss a beat. "Aw, honey, but I thought you loved me." The pet names were a private joke between the two of them, ever since they'd been part of a crime scene reenactment where Nick played the part of the husband and Warrick played the part of the wife. Maybe it was juvenile, but Warrick preferred this kind of joking over talking about women.

 

"I do, punkin," Warrick said with a reassuring pat to Nick's shoulder. "If you really want it, I'll get it for you."

 

Nick was laughing full out now, so hard he almost missed the turn. Shaking his head, he glanced over at Warrick, laughing again before he turned back to focus on the road ahead. "Nah, I'm good."

 

"Good," Warrick replied, settling back in his seat. He was about joked out for now, but he had to admit he felt a lot better than he had an hour ago. "That's the great thing about dating men," he said without thinking. "They don't expect you to buy them things."

 

The silence in the truck was sudden and, once Warrick realized what he'd said, not unexpected. He wasn't relaxed anymore, instead sitting up stiffly, waiting for Nick to lower the boom and tell him how not funny that was, or laugh it off and never quite look Warrick in the eye again. Dammit, it figured. Nick was one of his few good friends, someone Warrick knew he could trust with his life, whether it was life or death or his love life. Nick was the one who'd warned him against getting involved with Lillie, who'd saved him from another heartbreak. Sure, Warrick'd been mad at the time, so caught up in the moment that he'd lashed out at Nick, but he knew now that Nick'd been right. Nick as an outsider was able to see the side of Lillie Warrick'd wanted to pretend wasn't there, and Nick had risked their friendship to open Warrick's eyes.

 

Nick had always been there for him, no matter how competitive they'd become, and Warrick had just revealed the one thing he was sure would disgust his very straight friend. If Nick knew about the things Warrick had done with Greg, well, Warrick was pretty sure the friendship would be over. If, by some miracle, Nick accepted Warrick's sexuality in the abstract, Warrick would be careful as hell never to let Nick know about the details.

 

When Warrick looked to his left, though, Nick didn't look disgusted or even upset. His expression was blank and his jaw was moving, like he was chewing the inside of his cheek. It was still a while before Nick spoke, though, and when he did, Warrick wasn't sure if Nick's response was a good one or a bad one.

 

"I'll take your word for it," Nick said noncommitally, a look of relief crossing over his face when he saw that they'd reached the crime scene. "We're here," Nick announced, much more confidently, and Warrick had no idea how he was supposed to act around Nick now. When they met in front of the truck, though, Nick flashed him a smile that looked genuine, then clapped Warrick on the shoulder and stepped forward to meet up with Brass. "We beat Grissom here?" he asked, mild surprise in his voice. "That's a first."

 

Taking his cue from Nick, Warrick added banter to the conversation again. "Maybe for you." He held back a smirk as they approached the body, the drama of outing himself fading in significance as he took in the body. Nick was right beside him, analyzing the blood spatter - or lack thereof - as if nothing had happened. And maybe Warrick had underestimated Nick. Maybe he was more open-minded than Warrick had realized.

 

Their attention was distracted from the body when someone's phone chirped. Realizing it was his, Warrick unclipped his phone from his belt, holding it up to his ear. "He didn't jump," came Grissom's voice. Confused, Warrick looked at Nick, who shrugged. "Up here." Following Grissom's directive, Warrick looked up. And more up. Until he finally saw Grissom standing on the roof at the top of the building, as comfortable as if he were standing on the ground with them. "It's never the fall that kills you."


	8. Chapter 8  Flight

  
Author's notes: Nick and Warrick process a scene with a body but no murder weapon, and cleaning up dayshift's backlog in the DNA lab has Greg a tad frustrated.  


* * *

Unwilling to contaminate the crime scene with a coin, Warrick and Nick had played rock-paper-scissors for the right to stay on the ground with the corpse. Rock crushed scissors, so Warrick got to process the body on the ground while Nick joined Grissom on the roof.

 

They processed separately for a while, Nick giving him a call to let him know that he was headed back to the crime lab. That was where Warrick finally caught up to him, after having done a little research on his own before going to find Nick.

 

Nick was on his way to the DNA lab with a crack pipe he'd found on the roof. He'd just finished giving a copy of the prints to Jacqui, and was on his way to the DNA lab. "I looked high and low and couldn't find a single blunt object that could've been used as a weapon," Nick said as he shouldered open the door, sounding discouraged. Behind him, Greg looked up from a TLC plate, glancing from Warrick to Nick and then back down at his sample. "If we hadn't found the body where we did, I'd think he wasn't killed on that roof."

 

"Maybe he wasn't," Warrick said with a shrug. "Stranger things have happened."

 

"You know what's strange?" Greg interjected, and Warrick and Nick paused in their conversation to look at him. Even though Warrick's anger was gone, his confusion remained, but he knew that now wasn't the time and the lab wasn't the place to talk to Greg about it. Especially since Greg looked a little tense, but cleaning up day's backlog usually had that effect. "What's strange is that you two are here in the DNA lab and you don't have any DNA for me."

 

Taking that as his cue, Nick stepped forward, holding up the pipe he'd found. "Actually, I do. We already got some prints off it, I was hoping you could check for epithelials or saliva."

 

"And you want me to do the collection," Greg said sarcastically. Nick sent a baffled look over to Warrick, but Warrick just shrugged.

 

Greg still hadn't taken the pipe from Nick. He seemed to be waiting for an answer. "Uh, yeah," Nick said, sounding as baffled as he looked. "Isn't that part of your job?"

 

"Whatever," Greg muttered, and jerked his head toward one of the lab benches. "Put it over there. I'll get to it when I get to it."

 

For some reason, Greg's attitude made Warrick feel a little better. He didn't know why, and he didn't bother to analyze it. He was just glad he wasn't the only one feeling off-kilter tonight. Eventually, Warrick knew he'd have to tell Greg that he'd outed himself to Nick, in case Nick accidently brought it up and Greg worried that Warrick had revealed their extracurricular activities.

 

"Did you get an ID on the vic?" Nick asked, seeming unfazed now that he'd gotten used to Greg's attitude. It wasn't unusual to see Greg like this on a particularly busy night, but it did take some getting used to since Greg was usually up.

 

Warrick shook his head in response to Nick's question. "No, but I did get a lead. I was just coming to tell you about it. Vic had a tat," Warrick continued, pulling out the polaroid to show Nick. "I showed it to Leah, she knows the artist."

 

"Leah," Nick repeated, sounding confused. His face cleared a little, but he must've only remembered who she was because he asked, "Why would she know anything about tattoos?"

 

"Because she has one," Warrick said, as if it was obvious. "Two, actually. She just got another one."

 

"Another... I didn't know she had tattoos. Where are they?"

 

"One's on her shoulder." He said it before he realized that he couldn't tell Nick where the other one was. Suddenly conscious of Greg's presence, Warrick flushed guiltily when he felt Greg's eyes on him, and Nick asked the inevitable 'where's the other one?' "I don' know," Warrick muttered, evading his eyes. He didn't even know why he felt guilty. It had been over a year ago, before he'd even met Lillie, and even if it had been yesterday, it wasn't like Greg wasn't sleeping with other people. That didn't mean Greg talked about it in front of him, though, and Greg shouldn't have to hear Warrick talking about other people he'd slept with. Besides, Leah was a coworker. It was one thing to gossip about strangers they dated, but Warrick wasn't the kiss-and-tell kinda guy when it came to people he worked with. Which was the only reason no one knew about him and Greg.

 

"You do know," Nick exclaimed, and Warrick's whole face was hot. He couldn't believe he'd let himself get put on the spot like this. Nick was grinning like an idiot, probably relieved to realize that Warrick had sex with women. "Cmon, share."

 

"Can we get back to the case?" he growled impatiently, no longer in the mood to be polite. "We have a lead to chase."

 

Nick shrugged good-naturedly, letting it go and looking down at the polaroid. "Looks like an angel," he commented, tossing a smile over his shoulder at Greg before they exited the lab. "Maybe he thought he could fly."


	9. Chapter 9  Evidence

  
Author's notes: While waiting for Greg to process their evidence, Nick reveals something unexpected about himself to Warrick.  


* * *

"All right, we have Jimmy's slashed canopy and the sleeping bag Dacks was handling at the store," Nick clarified as they walked through the corridors, holding up the two samples they had for Greg. Nick had actually taken care of collection this time because he, like Warrick, was eager to wrap up the case and the less they pissed Greg off when he was in a mood like this, the sooner it would get done.

 

They'd gotten a positive ID on the vic, Jimmy Maurer, from the tattoo artist, who had enough of a record that he was a viable suspect. A search of Jimmy's car had earned them a variety of sports equipment that would've made a pentathlete jealous, and a note on the windshield had led them to photographs of Jimmy flying with Fred Dacks on the day of his death. For the second time this morning, Nick preceeded Warrick into the crime lab, and if the look on Greg's face was indication, his mood hadn't gotten any better.

 

"I haven't gotten to your evidence yet," Greg muttered, his face twisted into a scowl as he struggled with a cardboard box. Finally giving up on using his fingernails, Greg slipped his hand into one of the openings on the side of his lab coat so he could dig around in his back pocket, triumphantly pulling out his keys and using them to slit the tape on the box.

 

"That's fine, man," Nick said with a raised eyebrow. Warrick tried not to smile. Greg was cute when he got frustrated like this. It made it harder to stay mad at him. "When you get to it though, can you compare it to these samples?"

 

"Yeah, yeah," Greg said, finally succeeding in opening the box and pulling out a package of pipette tips. He brought them over to the main lab bench, immediately flipping up the top and popping a tip onto the pipetman. "Coming right up. I just have a few more samples to analyze first."

 

"Beep us when they're ready?"

 

"Yeah," Greg agreed unenthusiastically, not bothering to look up at them. Nick and Warrick left Greg alone for the time being, checking with Jacqui to see if any prints had turned up but there weren't any. Analyzing the pictures again didn't lead them to any new conclusions. It was one of those rare times when Warrick felt like he was doing nothing more than burning time, sitting at the break room table and tapping his foot along with Nick as they waited for Greg's page.

 

"It's cool with me, you know," Nick said out of the blue, and at first Warrick had no idea waht he was talking about. When it sank in that Nick was talking about the fact that Warrick dated men, he glanced nervously around the break room, checking to make sure there was no one around to overhear. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

 

Warrick took a deep breath before he spoke. "Thanks," he said eventually, not sure what else to say. The silence between them felt awkward now instead of impatient, but Warrick wasn't the only one contributing to it. The way Nick was fidgeting, his leg bouncing faster than it had been before, Warrick had a feeling that Nick wasn't really cool with it. That Nick was just pretending for the sake of their friendship.

 

He looked up when he heard Nick clear his throat, looking like he was about to say something. There was a 'but' coming, Warrick knew it. "Besides," Nick mumbled, "it's not like you're the only one."

 

Warrick had been looking in Nick's direction, but now his eyes snapped into focus as he studied Nick's face intently. What the hell was Nick saying? Did Nick already know about him and Greg? Or was Nick saying that he was into men too? "Don't be shittin' me about this, man," Warrick warned, letting his glare speak as clearly as his words. Nick cleared his throat again, eyes wide, and shook his head.

 

"I wouldn't shit about this, man. No way."

 

Warrick didn't know how Nick had managed to keep such a stoic expression after Warrick had outed himself in the car. He was stunned, to say the least. Nick, the self-proclaimed lady's man, was a man's man too. "So Lori Ann..."

 

Nick chuckled quietly. "She was real, no doubt. I don't make up women so people think I'm straight." Nick paused and licked his lips. "I just fail to mention the guys I see."

 

"Uh huh," Warrick said thoughtfully, staring at Nick. Nick knew as well as Warrick did that Warrick didn't make up women, either, but then, he didn't have as many women to talk about as Nick did. As far as Nick knew, the last person Warrick'd been involved with was Lillie. And yeah, she was the last woman, but she wasn't the last person. That was Greg. And Warrick hoped his involvment with Greg would never be past tense. "I gotta hand it to you, Stokes. I had no idea."

 

Nick grinned and blushed. And damn if he wasn't just as cute as Greg when he got frustrated. "I don't think anyone does," he admitted.

 

Looking at Nick like this, knowing he wasn't straight, seeing the bashful look on his face, Warrick suddenly had a lot of questions he wanted to ask. Whether it had been as hard for Nick as it'd been for him, especially growing up in Texas, with parents that Warrick knew from anecdotal evidence were even more conservative with Nick.

 

The revelation that Nick'd slept with the prostitute they'd found murdered was a hell of a shock to everyone in the lab, including Warrick. Nick was the sensible one of all of them, and even though he bragged about the women he'd been with on ocassion and at Greg's urging, Nick just wasn't the kind of guy anyone would expect to sleep with a suspect. It had been the first time Nick'd done anything to risk his job at the crime lab, and it had almost ended in his arrest and termination. They all knew Nick'd been lucky the DA had decided not to press charges, otherwise he would've been out of the lab for good.

 

And Warrick knew that dating other men was just as risky to their jobs as dating suspects and coworkers was. After all the cases they'd been through together, seeing their boss's reactions to the people they came in contact with, Warrick knew that Grissom wouldn't be the one who'd have a problem with it. That'd be Ecklie or the other state employees who were all about politics and not as accepting as Grissom. Hell, Grissom had saved Warrick's job numerous times, even when Warrick's gambling had cost them the life of a CSI. Grissom didn't know about Warrick's dating activities, but Grissom would say that as long as it didn't affect his job, it didn't matter. Which made him worry what Grissom would think if he knew that Warrick was dating a coworker, especially one whose job was essential to the integrity of the evidence they processed. Warrick liked to think that he wasn't biased because of Greg and that Greg wasn't biased because of him, but he also knew that it was hard to keep his personal life completely separate from his job. Just another slippery slope, one he'd avoided thus far by keeping his mouth shut.

 

Warrick was just damn lucky that Nick was the person he'd outed himself to instead of someone else. If it'd been Sara, Warrick was sure there'd be hell to pay. She had such a hardon for Grissom and she still resented the attention and trust Grissom afforded to Warrick. If she had a chance to get him fired, Warrick didn't doubt she'd rush at the opportunity.

 

But Nick being gay, or bi, or whatever he was, it was comforting to know that Warrick had another ally in the crime lab. For almost a year, Greg was the only one he'd been able to confide in about his sexuality, and sometimes, Warrick wanted to confide in someone about his feelings for Greg. He didn't expect Nick to be willing to listen, at least right away, and Warrick wouldn't out Greg just because he'd outed himself, but if he was careful about his timing and if he didn't use Greg's real name, he might just be able to talk to Nick about Greg... about his guy troubles. Warrick chuckled a little ironically about that. He didn't have guy troubles. He had Greg troubles, and the trouble was that Greg didn't want the same thing he did. Talking to Nick about it wouldn't change anything, but maybe he'd finally get to vent to a real person instead of a punching bag at the gym.

 

Knowing that Nick wasn't straight brought other things into perspective, too. Especially one thing in particular, and that was Nick's hero-worship of Grissom. Maybe the looks of admiration weren't just about admiration, and maybe the way Nick often defaulted to Grissom's point of view was evidence of attraction instead of just professional respect.

 

"Anyone?" Warrick asked casually, and Nick raised his eyebrows. "Not even Grissom?"

 

"Not even Grissom," Nick confirmed, and Warrick was pretty sure Nick sounded a little nervous again. So maybe Grissom didn't know about it, but Nick was definitely interested. "You?"

 

Nick was obviously trying to change the subject, but Warrick let it slide because Nick had done the same during the conversation about Leah earlier. Warrick shook his head, unwilling to bring Greg into it, not even just by saying that Greg knew about him. Warrick wasn't going to slip up the way he had when he'd mentioned Leah's tattoos. For once, he was going to keep his mouth shut. Nick seemed satisfied with his answer, though, and they spent the rest of their time waiting for Greg's page in companionable silence.

 

***

 

When the page finally came, they raced through the corridors as fast as high school seniors on the last day of school. Greg was sitting by the printer, waiting for the results to print. Not as patient as Greg, Warrick went over to hover by the printer, staring down at the paper as if that would make it print out faster.

 

Apparently irritated by Warrick's behavior, when the results finally did print out, Greg snatched them out of Warrick's reach and passed them to Nick instead. "Epithelials on the slashed canopy match the ones on the sleeping bag drawstring. Fred Dacks, both places. Thank you and goodnight."

 

Waiting for their results must've been Greg's only break for the night, because he went right back to work on other samples. Warrick looked at the results over Nick's shoulder, putting the pieces together. "So Fred does a number on Jimmy's canopy to keep him from flying."

 

"He's threatened by the guy," Nick agreed. They already knew that from their interviews with Dacks and the gliding instructor, and the results supported the testimonies. "It's to keep from getting shown up, you know," Nick said authoritatively.

 

"He needs to be top dog, huh?" Nick hummed absently in agreement, and Warrick continued, "Yeah, that sounds like you." Since Nick'd outed himself in the break room, Warrick felt a lot more comfortable again, their old comraderie back in full force. Which meant more teasing and one-upping each other. Nick raised his eyebrows, looking up at Warrick from the seat he'd taken.

 

"Who?"

 

"You," Warrick repeated, fixing Nick with a challenging stare. Nick knew Warrick's intentions were harmless, but to anyone watching, it could've easily been interpreted as a fight, which was apparently how Greg saw it.

 

"That seems like both of you," Greg ground out, looking up from the new evidence he was working with. "Now please, can you take this somewhere else?"

 

Warrick wasn't finished, though. Finished taunting Nick, yes, but they had to get their facts straight before they took the case anywhere. "So, Jimmy gets a new canopy. Flies, dies." The autopsy had shown cause of death as suffocation, which meant Jimmy had to've died in the sky. He couldn't have suffocated after his head hit the roof. "Comes down unattached. We got no canopy, no harness."

 

"If we want to find out what happened, we gotta find that rig," Nick said sensibly.

 

"Well, you're not gonna find it here." Greg was aggravated again. He went over to where Nick was sitting and snatched the results out of his hand, pushing Nick up and out of the chair and ignoring his protests.

 

Warrick'd seen Greg annoyed before, but Greg never got physical. Not on the job, and he was never this aggressive. "Have you taken your medication today?" Warrick's comment earned him another glare, and Greg threw open the door, showing them the way out.

 

Not for the first time that morning, Warrick wondered if he'd gone too far.


	10. Chapter 10  Focus

  
Author's notes: Warrick needs to focus.  


* * *

"Focus."

 

"What?"

 

"Greg's had a long night. We've had a long night. The sooner we focus on finding Jimmy's rig, the sooner we can get outta here."

 

"Just like that."

 

"What happens in the lab stays in the lab. It's not personal, Rick. Unless you make it personal."

 

"What makes you think it's personal?"

 

"Because I know you, man." Nick looked up at Warrick from his seat in front of the computer. "Everything's personal to you. And," Nick antagonized, choosing that moment to focus his attention back on the computer, "I think you have a thing for Greg."

 

Warrick scoffed. "Please." That was about the most forced statement that'd left his mouth all night, but it was necessary if he didn't want Nick to know about them. "At least I don't follow him around with puppy-dog eyes."

 

"I don't follow Greg around-"

 

"I was talking about Grissom, Texas."

 

Nick scowled. "Will you get off that already? I don't have a thing for Grissom." Nick typed furiously, bringing up the topography for the area around Mount Potosi. "Can we focus now?"

 

Warrick shrugged, leaning forward to get a better look at the monitor. He didn't really care if Nick had a thing for Grissom or not, it was just good-natured taunting. Nick protested a little too much for Warrick to believe he wasn't right, though. Of course, on the ocassions that he'd teased Nick about Catherine, all Nick did was blush. It was hard not to have a thing for Catherine, who was attractive and domineering at the same time, a bundle of aggressive energy wrapped up in a nice package. Cath would probably smack him if she knew he thought of her that way, so Warrick never said anything out loud, even to someone else. It'd be too easy for it to get back to her.

 

Clearing his throat, Warrick redirected his energy into focusing like Nick wanted them to do. It was one thing to think about women (or men) at home, but Nick was right, if they wanted to get outta here before they ended up pulling a double, they had to focus. "He took off here and he came down here, right?" Warrick pointed to the spot where they'd found Jimmy's car at the top of the mountain, then where they'd found Jimmy's body under the building.

 

"Yeah. Now, the canopy's designed to soar. Has to fall downwind of the body. And at fifteen thousand feet, wind was northeast at twenty-two miles per hour." Nick entered the parameters, and the computer did the rest of the work, showing that their search area was in northeast Summerland. They packed up to head out in that direction for a physical search, putting out a broadcast to the local PD on the way.

 

The broadcast panned out, saving them a lot of time and energy that would've gone into searching the Summerland area. The leg loops weren't buckled, which was no surprise, but that still didn't explain why Jimmy'd died.

 

"Check this out," Warrick said. "Property of Potosi Glide Center."

 

"That makes two liars," Nick agreed. Fred Dacks may've been the one to slash Jimmy's original canopy, but the canopy Jimmy'd been flying in when he died had to've been given to him by the instructor. Not only that, the lines to the a-riser were cut, which explained why he'd fallen out of the rig to his death.

 

Weston copped to giving Jimmy the replacement rig, but refused to admit that he'd had anything to do with Jimmy's death. When he lawyered up, though, they were back to square one. If they didn't get a confession, they'd have to get more evidence to put him away.

 

"Take a look," Nick said thoughtfully, and handed the ends of the cut lines to Warrick. Upon closer inspection, they looked frayed, not cut. "These lines are spun polymer. They're lightweight, but strong as hell covered in a plastic shell; now, over time that plastic coating wears down." Nick's theory was supported by the lack of plastic coating on the lines Warrick had in his hand. "Unprotected lines rub against one another, weakening and fraying till they snap." Warrick nodded in agreement. "It's normal wear and tear, man."

 

"But Weston knew that that canopy was in bad shape. And we don't have any evidence to suggest that he sabotaged it." Even though he hadn't sabotaged it, though, that didn't mean he didn't purposely give Jimmy a bad canopy. Sure, he admitted to giving Jimmy equipment that would hopefully slow him down and show him up, but it would've been impossible for Weston to know exactly when those lines would snap. They needed insight, and since Warrick wasn't a paraglider, he couldn't provide any. But he thought he knew where he might get some.

 

"Where're you going?" Nick asked.

 

"Checking out a hunch," Warrick said without further explanation, grabbing the photos before he took off.

 

***

 

"I need your expert opinion."

 

"Me?" Greg wheeled across the lab in his desk chair, confusion clear in his eyes. He didn't look busy anymore, so he must've finished with all his evidence for the moment. Greg looked Warrick up and down, but not the way he did when they were alone. "You don't have a sample for me. What kind of expert do you need?"

 

Greg sounded less confident - and a lot less aggressive - than he had earlier. Warrick felt a little awkward asking him for advice now, especially after they'd fought right in front of Nick. Nick was right; it was personal. Looking back on it, Warrick wondered if he hadn't been taking out his earlier anger about Greg's date on him, using Greg's attitude as an easy excuse for his behavior. Hopefully asking Greg for advice was the icebreaker they needed to get back on track.

 

"You're into sports, right?" Warrick knew Greg was into surfing, at least, and that when he'd lived in San Francisco, he'd mostly gotten around by skateboard. Some of the less traditional sports than football and basketball, which was why it didn't seem like much of a stretch to think Greg would have some insight into paragliding.

 

"Some. What kinda sports?" Instead of answering, Warrick passed Greg the photos of Jimmy and Dacks. "Paragliding?" Greg asked with wide eyes, looking almost envious of the guys in the pictures. Warrick's instincts had been right. Maybe Greg hadn't done it himself, but Warrick didn't doubt it was something Greg would want to do. Greg looked up, a softness in his expression Warrick hadn't seen all night, and Warrick let out a sigh of relief. He knew it wasn't the paragliding. He knew that Greg took Warrick's request for advice as a peace offering, and that Greg appreciated it. "What do you need to know?"

 

"Here's the situation. Guy decides to go paragliding, ends up dead. Lines on his rig are frayed, and when they snap, he falls to the ground. It's not the fall that kills him, though." That wasn't the way Warrick would usually phrase it, but he couldn't help parroting Grissom's statement from the beginning of the case.

 

"What's the c.o.d.?"

 

Warrick grinned. It was exactly the right question, but not all lab techs would think to ask it. Then again, Greg wasn't all lab techs. "Suffocation."

 

"Really." Greg studied the photos in his hand, chewing his lip thoughtfully as he did. Warrick's eyes were drawn to the action and he quickly pulled up a chair, forcing himself to focus on the upside-down photos instead of thinking about what it would be like to chew on Greg's lip for him. How much Greg would like that, how he'd probably moan or whimper. "They're pretty high."

 

Greg's words distracted Warrick from his thoughts. Not by much, but enough to make him blink back into focus. He had to clear his throat before he spoke. "What?"

 

"They're really high," Greg repeated, angling himself and the photos so he could point to the sky in the picture. "You only get those kinda clouds when you're really high. You said he died of suffocation, right?" Warrick nodded. "Well, there's three main ways to suffocate someone. You can cut off their access to air by covering the mouth and nose, which doesn't let available oxygen get into the lungs. Or you can block the lungs or like, crush them so even when you breathe in, oxygen can't get to the lungs. The other possibility is that there's just not enough oxygen available. And when you're that high, the air's really thin, so there's less oxygen in the air. Did he have an oxygen tank?"

 

Once he'd processed Greg's question, Warrick tried to think back to the rig they found. "Yeah, I think so."

 

"Was it full?"

 

"Uh..." Warrick barely remembered if there'd been an oxygen tank, never mind whether it was full or not. They'd seen the cut lines and focused on that.

 

"Never mind. Where is it?"

 

"In the evidence room."

 

Greg nodded and got up without a word, heading for the door before he doubled back, grabbing a pair of gloves and snapping them on. Warrick stared, his mind still so filled with images of making Greg moan that he couldn't think of anything the gloves would be used for except sex. Greg gave him a funny look when he didn't stop staring. "Don't wanna contaminate the evidence, right?"

 

"Right," Warrick agreed immediately, feeling like an idiot. Of course. He really had to get his mind back on the job and off Greg. Except that getting Greg's help was part of the job. Clearing his thoughts, Warrick blocked the door before Greg could get out, reminded that he needed to make sure everything was okay between them personally before they went back to business. Greg gave him another odd look, but waited for him to speak. "Look, I was outta line with what I said earlier. Last time Nick was here with me," he clarified.

 

"Yeah, you were," Greg said quietly. "But so was I. I'm sorry."

 

Warrick hadn't expected an apology from Greg, but since it was given, he accepted it. "Me too," he said with a nod, and risked a touch by lifting his hand to Greg's shoulder. "We good?"

 

Greg smiled brightly, amazing Warrick with his ability to let bygones be bygones. "Yeah, we're good."

 

"Good," Warrick repeated, rubbing his thumb along the collar of Greg's labcoat before he realized what he was doing. Greg pushed past him, but not before Warrick saw the pleased smile on his face, so he knew he was doing something right.


	11. Chapter 11 Wannabe

  
Author's notes: Warrick asks for Greg's help with the case, and remembers when Greg first started thinking about being a CSI.  


* * *

"He ventures out of the lab," Nick teased, laughing when Greg flipped him the middle finger over his shoulder. Warrick smiled. Yeah, things were back to normal. "This your doing, Rick?"

 

Warrick shrugged, watching Greg out of the corner of his eye as he answered Nick. "Well, I figured he helped you with the diver you guys found in the tree last year," Warrick reminded him. Greg kept looking the rig over as if Warrick hadn't said anything unusual, but Nick stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground, and Warrick knew exactly why each of them reacted the way they did.

 

Greg and Warrick had just been friends back then, friends who didn't sleep together, but Warrick'd hung out with Greg when he could, grateful for the basic knowledge of chemistry he had from his major compared to Greg's more extensive expertise of the subject. It gave them something to talk about, and kept him from feeling completely clueless when he gave Greg samples for analysis. Greg'd always been a diehard lab rat, but when Nick'd asked him for help on that case, he'd started wondering what it would be like to be out in the field.

 

Greg had gotten his chance to see what it was like to be in the field the night they'd had a bus crash with fourteen vics in. Greg wasn't technically supposed to be there; he didn't have the field experience necessary and Grissom hadn't let him do any collection. That night had been even colder than usual, and Greg's windbreaker hadn't been enough to keep him warm. Warrick'd caught up with him later that night in the locker room, muttering to himself about how cold it was, rubbing his hands together and glaring at the locker.

 

"Still cold?" Warrick'd asked, smiling sympathetically when Greg replied with a vigorous nod. Warrick did something he'd been wanting to do for a while; he touched Greg. His hands closed around Greg's upper arms and rubbed briskly up and down, meaning to pull away but when Greg didn't step back, Warrick kept rubbing, and Greg shifted into his arms. Warrick's cock twitched when Greg's fingernails scratched lightly over his stomach, fingers curling in the material of his shirt, Greg's body pressing close enough that he could tell Greg was hard, too.

 

It was sudden and unexpected and Warrick chalked it up to the moment, because he'd never expected that someone as young and bright and enthusiastic as Greg could be attracted to an cynical, stubborn, temperamental older man like him. A month later, though, after weeks of enduring Greg's aggressive brand of flirting when no one else was around, what was supposed to be a normal hangout session turned into more when Greg showed up in a windbreaker, arms wrapped around himself and shivering, and asked Warrick to warm him up again. They'd been sleeping together ever since.

 

None of that seemed to be on Greg's mind right now. He was so intent on analyzing the components of the rig that Warrick didn't think he'd notice if a bomb went off. Nick, on the other hand, was clearly self-conscious of the memory of the night he'd asked Greg for his help with the diver.

 

Nick had been humoring Greg. Greg happened to have some experience with wetsuits, so before he even ran the sample on the liquid on the diver's body, he'd been able to surmise that it was liquid dishwashing soap to get the wetsuit to go on more easily. After that contribution to the case, Nick'd asked Greg to help some more, leading to some jealousy on Catherine's part and undeserved amusement from Nick.

 

Warrick only knew what'd happened from Catherine's point of view, but apparently, at the time, Nick had found it amusing. For a lab tech to aspire to be a CSI as unheard of, at least at that time in their department. Not only was it a decrease in pay scale, it also required a completely different form of training, since CSIs had to interact with the human element and most of the lab techs dealt exclusively with chemical samples and not at all with people. Greg had proven Nick wrong, though. He wasn't a CSI yet, but he had the instincts and the ease of communication that were needed for the job. Warrick was proud of the progress Greg had made, even if he hadn't said so. Maybe he should some time. Just not now.

 

"Made sense that he could help us with this, too."

 

Nick nodded, a look of intense concentration on his face until it was replaced with his usual easy-going, curious expression. Nick didn't know that Warrick knew about Nick's role in involving Greg in that case, and as far as Warrick knew, Greg didn't know what Nick had thought of Greg's efforts at that time. Things had changed though, fortunately. Greg and Nick seemed to be friends now, friends who trusted and respected each other. Those were important qualities for members of the same team, and it was important to Warrick that his two best friends respected and trusted each other, too.

 

"Pop quiz," Greg said suddenly, a smug smirk twisting his lips as he held up one of the instruments. "How high above sea level is Las Vegas?"

 

Warrick could see the wheels turning in Nick's head as he tried to come up with the answer before Warrick did. "'bout two thousand feet?" Nick guessed, glancing at Warrick for confirmation.

 

"Bingo," Greg said triumphantly, urging them to join him with a wag of his finger. "Check it out."

 

Nick chuckled when he saw the reading on the altimeter. Warrick glanced over his shoulder to take a look for himself. "Thirty feet?"

 

"Uh, yeah," Nick said with a grin. "I think we're off by a few G's."


	12. Chapter 12  Invitation

  
Author's notes: "Jumping off a cliff isn't exactly my idea of a good time," Warrick said.  


* * *

"Find out who decalibrated the altimeter, and you'll have your guy," Greg told them. "Man one, at least."

 

Printing the guts of the altimeter wasn't the easiest thing Warrick had ever done, but matching the prints didn't take long since one of their suspects matched perfectly. Greg wasn't qualified to participate in the interview, but Brass let him watched in the next room behind the one-way mirror with Catherine.

 

"Jimmy's altimeter, your prints. On the inside," Brass accused. Fred Dacks, their suspect, now perpetrator, scoffed at the accusation.

 

"That's cute. You should put it in a frame. So I fix gear for other flyers sometimes, big deal."

 

"Oh, you fixed it, all right," Warrick said. "You decalibrated it. It was off by 2,000 feet."

 

Nick spoke next, repeating what Greg had told him in the evidence room. "In the air, you lose your perspective. You have to trust your instruments." He hadn't done any paragliding himself, Greg'd told them, but he did have experience with scuba diving and it was the same thing. Whether you were up in the air or under the water, any evironment where the temperature or pressure wasn't what your body was used to, you had to be able to read your instruments and know how to interpret them and how to react in order to protect yourself.

 

"Jimmy didn't know how high he actually was."

 

"Hey, I already told you, man, this dude was soft in the air. He could've turned back anytime."

 

"But you knew he wouldn't. You set him up."

 

Warrick nodded, coming forward to back up Brass. "Yeah, you had perfect sky, massive canopy, bitchin' thermals, dude and a challenge he'd never refuse. You played him against himself."

 

"You couldn't stand the fact that he was better than you," Nick finished for him.

 

"Hey, I called him out, he took me on," Dacks defended himself. "Bigger air, higher altitudes push the limit, dude. That's why we fly."

 

Warrick knew better than to believe that. "No, it's not why you fly. The truth is on your arm." Dacks had a tat on his arm that he claimed Jimmy had ripped off from him, but it wasn't the same as Jimmy's. "Alecto, Magaera, Tisiphone; the three furies. Unceasing anger, vengeance and jealousy. That's what you're about."

 

"Sorry, dude," Nick said sarcastically.

 

Case closed.

 

***

 

It wasn't often that they solved a case in a single shift, but everything had gone their way this time. They'd had two people on the roof to figure out that Jimmy hadn't died there, and cause of death hadn't taken long for Doc to figure out. Between that, their luck in finding Jimmy's rig, and Greg's insight into paragliding, they'd solved the case in less than twelve hours. Warrick didn't know about anyone else, but he was ready to go home, satisfied with the work they'd done for the night, and get a good day's sleep. Preferably with Greg in his bed, if not in his arms.

 

Beside him, Nick tugged off his shirt to change into his day clothes, and Warrick got an eyeful. It wasn't the first time he'd looked; just because he was sleeping with Greg didn't mean he was blind. It was the first time he didn't pretend not to look, though. He'd never been one to check out a coworker, especially one he thought was straight. Now that Warrick knew Nick was bi, though, he couldn't help but be curious. Nick was not hard to look at.

 

When Nick noticed him looking, he winked at Warrick, balling up his shirt and tossing it in his locker before reaching for a clean t-shirt. Warrick smirked and turned back to his own locker, unwilling to give any indication that he liked what he saw. It felt too much like cheating on Greg, even if they had no agreement of fidelity and even if it was just looking. It was just too far out of the scope of Warrick's dating experience or philosophy.

 

"Hey, I made a call and reserved some paragliding equipment." Nick's tone was normal, as if he hadn't just noticed Warrick checking him out, normal enough that Warrick was able to wonder when Nick'd made the call instead of wondering what Nick really thought about the fact that Warrick was looking. He must've called while they were waiting for Dacks' paperwork to be processed, maybe while Warrick was on his way to the locker room and he and Nick had split up for a few minutes. "Wanna join me?"

 

Warrick scoffed. "Jumpin' off a cliff isn't exactly my idea of a good time." Nick already knew that the idea of paragliding didn't appeal to Warrick, unless he'd thought Warrick was just joking. He was probably just asking to be polite, anyway.

 

"Who's jumping off a cliff?" Greg had entered the locker room, but unlike Warrick and Nick, he went straight to the sinks instead of changing his shirts. Greg rarely ever changed at work, too self-conscious about his appearance, although Warrick did his best to show Greg that he thought he was beautiful. It was hard to do that when Greg shrank away from any kind of sappiness or intimacy, at least until lately. The fact that Greg was washing his hands wasn't a surprise, either. The lab had sinks, of course, but after spending an entire shift handling unknown samples, you just couldn't be too careful. That was something Warrick had to agree with, especially knowing the amount of biological samples Greg had to process. The thought of some of those samples made Warrick's stomach churn.

 

"Stokes," Warrick answered, jerking his thumb in Nick's direction in case Greg could see him in the mirror. "He wants a rush."

 

"Sounds like a good way to get it," Greg said encouragingly, wiping his hands dry on his jeans as he walked over to join them by the lockers. Once he was there, he stood in place, watching both of them without even opening his locker. Nick noticed first, turning to look at Greg and asking him what was up. Warrick looked curiously at Greg too, taking in the uncertain expression and the way he was trying to lean casually against the lockers. "Um, so I wanted to apologize for the way I was acting earlier. It was a long night."

 

"It's cool, man," Warrick said, keeping quiet about the fact that Greg'd already apologized to him for Nick's benefit. Well, actually for Greg's benefit, so Nick wouldn't know there was something between them.

 

"Yeah," Nick agreed, "it's cool." He was silent for a few moments, and Warrick figured that was it, so he turned back to his locker to grab his day shirt and pull it on. It wasn't unusual for him to have a conversation in the locker room without a shirt on, so he'd barely even noticed that he hadn't gotten dressed yet.

 

He wanted to ask Greg to hang out with him, but Nick was still in the room and Warrick didn't want him to overhear. So he tried to prolong his time in the locker room, going to the sinks to wash his hands. He could see Nick in the mirror, one arm hooked over his open locker door as he talked to Greg. "You know, you could make it up to me by coming paragliding."

 

Warrick blinked and looked down at his hands, watching too hard as the soap washed away under the water. Was Nick hitting on Greg? It was unfair of him to think so; he never would've considered that possibility before he knew Nick was bi, and besides, Nick had just asked Warrick to go gliding with him. If Nick was hitting on Greg, then he'd been hitting on Warrick, too. It wouldn't be one or the other.

 

Looking in the mirror again, Warrick saw Greg bite his lower lip, glancing over at Warrick and meeting his eyes in the mirror. "I don't know," he said doubtfully, even though Warrick could tell he wanted to. Whether it was because he was attracted to Nick or because he wanted to paraglide, Warrick couldn't tell. The strange thing was, Warrick could understand the attraction to Nick better than he could understand the attraction to paragliding. But he didn't let himself think about it too hard, because if he did, he'd get jealous again. And Greg didn't deserve that.

 

"Cmon," Nick urged with that big lopsided grin of his. "Don't you wanna know how it feels to soar like the eagles?"

 

Warrick rolled his eyes. Either Nick was hitting on Greg, or he was doing a terrible imitation of it. Warrick could flirt better than that with one arm tied behind his back.

 

Then again, Nick didn't even know Greg was gay. If he did, Nick would've said something to him, or Greg would've. So Nick couldn't actually be flirting. He had to be having fun with Greg, nothing more.

 

In order to save Greg from responding to such a corny pickup line, Warrick returned to the lockers, effectively coming between Nick and Greg so Nick couldn't see his face when he looked at Greg. "Check your altimeter before you take off," Warrick said, winking so Greg would know it was okay. Then he clapped Greg on the shoulder, a friendly gesture for Greg's benefit and Nick's as well.

 

He left before he could see Greg's reaction. If Nick hadn't been there, Warrick hoped Greg would argue, wanting to hang out instead of spending the morning gliding through the air with Nick. It was a romantic idea, but Warrick knew Greg. As much as he liked hanging out, Greg liked to get out, too. He liked an adrenaline rush as much as Nick did. Grissom, too. Whether it was surfing or paragliding or riding rollercoasters, the three of them had an interest in something that didn't do much for Warrick. His idea of a good time was a workout in the gym or deejaying at a club.

 

At one time, gambling would've been included on that list, and even though the idea still appealed to him, Warrick had tried to limit his gambling to bets with Nick, keeping it out of the casinos and away from sports. Warrick had only ever gambled with his money, and in the past, he'd ended up risking his job and even his coworker's life. He kept his job because of Grissom, but he'd lost the gamble with Holly's life, and that was something he regretted to this day. Warrick didn't let his addiction control him anymore. There was too much at stake.

 

"Warrick, wait," Greg called breathlessly, and Warrick came to a stop, surprised. Greg was running after him through the parking lot, far ahead of Nick who wasn't even out of the building yet. "You sure?"

 

Warrick frowned. "Nick doesn't know...?"

 

"No, no." Greg shook his head, looking behind him as if to see if Nick was there. "I told him I had to take a shower and change first. But if you wanted to hang out, I could just tell him I was tired or something..."

 

Warrick was touched that Greg wanted to do that for him, and he wished he could accept Greg's offer. But it wouldn't be fair to Nick, who was probably looking forward to spending the time with Greg. Who wouldn't? "I appreciate the thought," he said quietly, resisting the urge to take Greg's hands in his to reassure him. "But it's okay. Really. We can hang out any time." Warrick let himself reach up and squeeze Greg's shoulder, even if he couldn't let anyone catch him doing more than that. "Have fun with Nick."

 

Greg looked like he didn't know what to say. And in the end, he didn't say anything at all. Without even checking to see if anyone could see them, Greg leaned up and brushed his lips over Warrick's, so whisper-soft that Warrick wasn't sure if he'd imagined it.

 

"What was that for?" he asked quietly.

 

Greg just smiled, as if he hadn't just taken a huge step in their relationship. "For being you," he said mysteriously, then ducked his head and took off for his car.

 

Warrick just stood there, watching Greg drive away. He had no idea what was going on with Greg, but he was looking forward to finding out.


	13. Chapter 13  Bittersweet

  
Author's notes: Warrick remembers their first time with new insight.  


* * *

_hey both had the night off, so they'd planned to make a night of it. Warrick got up at nine, as usual, and spent the next three hours convincing himself he wasn't nervous. Lately he wasn't sure if they were still just hanging out, or if Greg wanted to consider their get-togethers as dates too. They hadn't had any more close calls like the one in the locker room, and if anything, Greg had spent more time bragging about his other dates than usual. Warrick didn't know if that was supposed to turn him on or off, if Greg was trying to emphasize that he wasn't available because he had all these dates or that he was desirable because of all the dates that he had._

_It didn't make much sense to Warrick, who'd always been a one-woman man, or, when he dated men, a one-man man. Greg was definitely flirting with him, but Greg didn't seem to realize that what he seemed to think was evidence of desirability was the one thing that made him less desirable to Warrick. Warrick didn't do casual sex or casual dating, and he definitely didn't want to turn into one of the dates that Greg ended up bragging anonymously about in the lab. There was also the possibility that Greg was just making up all those dates for whatever reason; Warrick had suspected the same thing of Nick, who bragged so much about his dates with women that even Greg commented that Nick had to be exaggerating to accomodate for something._

_Whatever the reason was, Greg's behavior wasn't enough to make Warrick stop wanting him. He hadn't pushed forward, though, too concerned with his job to risk hurting a perfectly good friendship by searching for something that might not even be there. If Greg was just flirting, Warrick didn't want a sexual harrassment suit on his hands. Just because Greg had been turned on that night didn't mean he wanted anything from Warrick._

_Midnight finally came and Warrick had to admit that he was nervous. Greg should've shown up by then, and there was no sign of him. He'd probably decided not to come. Warrick waited for the phone to ring, for Greg to give his excuses and promise Warrick he'd see him the next night at work._

_Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell finally rang, and Warrick breathed a sigh of relief. Greg had shown up after all. He made his way to the front door, glancing down one last time to make sure he looked casual; button-down shirt buttoned most of the way up, even more than he usually buttoned it up at work, just so Greg wouldn't think Warrick was coming onto him, jeans baggy enough to hide anything if he happened to get turned on, and socks to keep his feet warm on the hardwood floors. Vegas nights were cold, and even though Warrick had heat, his feet got cold more easily than the rest of his body._

_There was barely any wind, but Warrick could feel the cool chill of the night air when he opened the front door. What he didn't understand was why Greg was standing there wearing nothing more substantial than a windbreaker, shivering when the heat in his car should've been enough to keep him warm until now._

_"Christ, Sanders," he muttered, reaching out to pull Greg in by the sleeve of his jacket before closing the door. "Haven't you been in Vegas long enough to know how cold it gets at night?"_

_Greg nodded happily, and for the first time, Warrick noticed his grin. "Yup," he said enthusiastically, kicking off his shoes and unzipping the windbreaker, hugging himself as Warrick hung up his coat. "Looks like you'll have to warm me up again."_

_Warrick was surprised that Greg even remembered that night, never mind wanted to repeat the embarrassing moment. But maybe he'd been right about Greg's flirting. Maybe, for some reason, Greg wanted him too. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I left you out in the cold, would I?" He was starting to get the feeling that Greg had known exactly what he was going to say, even if it did sound like the beginning of a bad porn flick. Then again, Greg was a dork. And Warrick meant that affectionately._

_Greg chuckled and took a step closer, slipping his arms around Warrick's waist instead of his own now that he realized Warrick was going to play along._

_Warrick had to admire Greg's confidence. The kid had no idea whether Warrick was actually going to reciprocate, but he knew what he wanted and he went for it despite the risk of rejection. That was one thing Warrick had never been able to gamble with - his pride. There was no way he could've done what Greg was doing right now._

_"Fortunately for me," Greg murmured with a sly grin, "you are much of a friend." He looked like he was about to say more, then seemed to change his mind, the friendly smile Warrick recognized replacing the unfamiliar coy one of a few seconds before. "So," he said, less confidently this time, "are you gonna warm me up?"_

_He answered with a kiss. A slow, warm kiss, lowering his mouth to Greg's as he raised his hands to Greg's shoulders, slipping up to his neck so Warrick could frame Greg's face in his hands. Before he got that far, though, Greg had pulled away, looking over Warrick's shoulder._

_At the time, Warrick hadn't thought anything of it. They were both turned on, and Warrick figured that Greg was eager to get him into bed. It wasn't until a couple months later that Warrick had noticed a pattern; they never kissed. Every time he'd leaned in to start a kiss, Greg had grinned or laughed like it was funny and then started sucking on Warrick's neck, or his nipples, or his cock. For a while, it was hot enough that Warrick hadn't even noticed the lack of kissing, until he realized it'd become habit to stop trying to kiss Greg because he knew Greg wouldn't allow the kiss to last for long. It happened too many times for it to be the heat of the moment._

_"Let's get under the covers," Greg said eagerly, tugging at Warrick's hand as he led them toward the bedroom. He knew where it was because he'd used the bathroom a few times, but they'd never been there together before. Warrick had no idea how far it was going to go tonight, but he was too grateful to finally know that Greg wanted him to analyze it too much. "I'm still cold."_

_"Can't have that," Warrick chuckled, catching up to Greg and pulling him back against him at the doorway, just holding onto him for a few moments. This was a scene that would keep him coming for weeks, Greg in his arms, Greg's back to his chest, his cock trapped between himself and Greg's ass. Greg looked back at him with a big smile, one that made Warrick melt, but before he could take Greg's mouth in another kiss, Greg had pulled away and jumped into the bed._

_"Damn, this bed is comfortable," Greg murmured, rolling onto his back and stretching luxuriously. Warrick watched silently as the object his fantasies arched up, feet pressed into the mattress, arms stretched over his head._

_Warrick licked his lips the way he had that night. Greg had been as limber and unrestrained as Warrick had always imagined he'd be, and most of that had been just wishful thinking. He'd never thought he'd ever find out if any of it was true, never mind witness it for himself, in his own bed._

_Greg turned his head then, wrapping his fingers around a slat in Warrick's headboard as their eyes met. "Well," he said quietly, "aren't you gonna join me?"_

_It was an invitation Warrick couldn't refuse. The way Greg was holding onto the headboard, his body language so open, Warrick could picture fucking him right then and there even though they were both fully clothed._

_The fucking hadn't happened until a few months later. Warrick reached back over his head with his left hand, trailing his fingers up and down the edges of one of the slats on the headboard. One time he'd been sure he'd heard wood breaking, but he'd never found the damage to the bed. Maybe he'd just imagined it, or maybe he just hadn't looked hard enough. But he knew it was there._

_"Mmmm, this is nice," Greg murmured, curling his fingers in Warrick's shirt the way he had that night in the locker room and pulling Warrick closer to him. Instead of taking the kiss that would've been offered, Greg buried his face against Warrick's chest, toying with one of the buttons on Warrick's shirt and then changing his mind, apparently more interested in the bulge he'd found in Warrick's jeans. Warrick felt Greg shift so only his forehead was touching Warrick's chest, his breath ghosting over bare skin as he cupped Warrick's cock in his hand. It was the first truly sexual touch between the two of them, and Warrick welcomed it._

_His fingers closed around the slat in the headboard, remembering how Greg's breath had puffed against his chest, changing in frequency and intensity as Greg's hand explored the length of Warrick's cock through his jeans. Greg's touch had been so gentle, almost curious, that for a while it felt like Greg had never done this before, that he was exploring for the first time. That fantasy didn't last for long, though, as Greg's fingers grew increasingly bold, tracing the shape of Warrick's cock and then stroking confidently up and down. Warrick bit down on his lower lip, staring up at the ceiling. They'd been together long enough that if Greg wanted the same thing Warrick did, they'd be living together by now and Warrick wouldn't even be considering getting himself off because he'd know that Greg would be joining him in bed in just a few hours. But Warrick knew that wasn't going to happen. Not today, anyway._

_Warrick bit back a groan when Greg's fingers disappeared, then moaned when he realized what Greg had in mind. Greg's right arm had slipped around his waist, cupping Warrick's ass and pulling their bodies flush together, Greg's hips already rocking forward and that was when Warrick realized he wasn't going to get out of his jeans before he came. As it turned out, he didn't really care. It had been almost six months since he'd anything other than his own hand and he was damned if he was going to let something like pants stop him from enjoying himself._

_His other hand still wrapped around the slat in the headboard, Greg tightened his grip on Warrick's ass, thrusting more than rocking his hips now. His face was pressed hard against Warrick's chest, gelled hair tickling Warrick's chin, his leg coming up to wrap around Warrick's thigh and hold on tight. Warrick finally coordinated himself enough to touch Greg back, slipping one hand under Greg's shirt while his free hand came up to close over Greg's where it was wrapped around the slat. Greg whimpered then, thrusting his hips faster, tightening his leg around Warrick's, and Warrick pressed his hand hard against Greg's lower back, thrusting back until the friction and Greg's scent and sound and touch was enough to bring him over the edge._

 

The headboard creaked as Warrick gripped it tighter, finally giving in and wrapping his right hand around his cock, stroking with a steady, quick rhythm that would get him off in no time.

 

_Greg's breath was moist against his chest, their legs tangled together as they came down from the high. Warrick wanted to kiss him, but Greg's face was still buried under his chin, and he seemed too exhausted for Warrick to move him. Warrick was tired, too, and they fell asleep that way, sticky under their jeans and tangled around each other._

 

He came with a hoarse grunt, gingerly uncurling his fingers from around his cock when it was all over. It was always bittersweet like this, remembering the times he'd shared with Greg, wondering if Greg would ever want more. The kiss this morning had been a hell of a start, and the next time Warrick saw Greg, they were going to have a good, long talk about their relationship.

 

_He woke up that night in the same clothes he'd fallen asleep wearing. He turned his head to see Greg coming out of the bathroom, looking fresh and clean and wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his thin waist. "I used your shower," Greg said. "Hope you don't mind."_

_Warrick shook his head, watching as Greg turned to pick up his jeans from the floor, pulling them on under the towel and then letting that drop to the floor. Warrick had never noticed how broad Greg's back was before, tapering down to narrow hips, his body not unlike that of a bullfighter._

_Greg flashed a smile at Warrick over his shoulder, grabbing his shirt and then sitting on the edge of the bed, one knee pulled up on the mattress. "You pro'ly wanna get cleaned up," Greg said with a sympathetic wrinkle of his nose. Warrick expected Greg to lean over for a goodnight kiss, at least, but he hopped up from the bed as casually as if they'd never had sex. "I gotta go feed my fish. See you at work?"_

_"Yeah." Warrick tried to hide his disappointment, tried not to feel like he'd been used. Of course Greg had to go feed his fish, they had to be fed every day. But Warrick couldn't shake the feeling that Greg was rushing off before they could actually talk about what had happened between them._

 

He just hoped that a good, long talk about their relationship wouldn't scare Greg away.


	14. Chapter 14  Maxed

  
Author's notes: Sara's maxed out on overtime, Greg's nowhere to be found, and Nick's taking a shower.  


* * *

He didn't see Greg at work that night, but he and Catherine spent most of the shift on the other side of Vegas looking into a homicide in a hotel room. It wasn't until he brought evidence back to the lab and had to give it to a sub instead of Greg that he realized Greg wasn't actually there.

 

Shift was barely half over and already he could tell it was going to be a long night. So he headed to the break room, declining Cath's invitation to have lunch with her and Grissom. All they were gonna do was talk politics, and Warrick wasn't really in the mood.

 

Sara was pacing the break room, visible from down the hall through the glass walls. Sometimes it unnerved Warrick how damn open the lab was, with no place but the locker room for privacy, and that was rare. But Sara had already seen him heading in that direction, so if he changed course now she'd know it was personal.

 

"Hey," she said lightly, the lilt in her voice obvious enough that Warrick knew she was bored and dying for someone to talk to. Hopefully Cath or Doc would page him soon, but for now, Warrick had to eat. Had to at least get some coffee in his system because it looked like he was gonna be pulling a double.

 

"Hey," he returned unenthusiastically, getting his lunch from the fridge and heating it up in the microwave for a few minutes. By the time it was finished, Sara had stopped moving, her curious gaze on the plastic container.

 

"What is that, chili?" she asked, and Warrick nodded silently, taking a seat and testing how hot it was with the first spoonful, looking up when Sara sat down across from him. "Smells good. You make it yourself?"

 

Warrick nodded again, glancing up to study Sara without making it obvious that he was doing so. She was up to something, or bored out of her mind, or else she wouldn't be making small talk. That wasn't Sara. She'd just as soon ignore him as acknowledge his presence. But as long as she wanted to make conversation, he might as well find out if she knew anything about Greg's absence. He hadn't called, so Warrick wasn't sure if anything was wrong. He couldn't stop thinking about how excited Greg had looked at the idea of going paragliding with Nick, and Warrick had told him to have fun. How much fun, exactly, did he have? Enough that he was so sore he called in sick from work? "Hey," he started, trying to sound casual, "have you seen Greg tonight?"

 

"He has tonight off," Sara answered almost immediately. "Tomorrow night too. He's been on nine days straight, you know."

 

Actually, Warrick didn't know, but he didn't tell Sara that. It was a little unnerving that she knew Greg's schedule and he didn't. Sara wasn't the one sleeping with him, unless Greg had decided to take an interest in women. "Really."

 

"He told me last night. Well, barked is more like it." Warrick refrained from raising an eyebrow. He couldn't picture Greg barking anything, but then, it was no secret that Sara didn't like Greg and tended to exaggerate his faults. "I was just saying how I was maxed out on overtime for the month, so I couldn't go out in the field, and he got started on how-"

 

"Maxed out for the month?" Warrick interrupted, meeting Sara's eyes this time. She nodded with a little mmhm, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "December's not even half over yet."

 

"Well, you know me," Sara said dryly, but Warrick detected a hint of wistfulness, too. "All work and no play. Catherine says I should get out more." Sara sent him a sad imitation of a smile. "Where'm I gonna go?"

 

Warrick shrugged uncomfortably, not having expected to get into such a personal conversation with Sara. With anyone else, this would be nothing, but this was personal for Sara because for her, work was her life, which made it personal. And even though she was acting like she wanted that to change, Warrick didn't expect that she'd ever do anything to make that change happen. "You comin' to the Christmas party?"

 

"Christmas," she scoffed, and Warrick got the feeling he'd said something wrong. "Every year, it's the same thing." Warrick expected her to say more, but she was silent, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring down at the table. Unsure what else to do, Warrick got up to grab a cup of coffee, asking over his shoulder if Sara wanted any. "No," she said stubbornly, like she'd just been told to go to her room.

 

If he didn't know Sara, Warrick might've felt sorry for her. But he did know her, and he knew feeling sorry wasn't gonna change a damn thing. She wasn't going to explain what she meant when she said every year it was the same thing, and if her attitude was any indication, she wouldn't be coming to the Christmas party.

 

Which was fine for Warrick. Because Sara had never done him a damn favor. All she'd ever done was doubt him and resent his role at the crime lab. If it were up to her, he wouldn't be working here any more. So instead of talking to her, trying to figure out what was bothering her, he hurried through his lunch, wolfing down the chili and drinking coffee far more bitter than Greg's expensive brew. The caffeine would keep him going through the rest of the shift, and as for Sara, she was the one who'd maxed herself out. There was nothing Warrick could do to help her, even if he wanted to.

 

***

 

Warrick stalked into the locker room, curling his hands around the edges of the sink and bowing his head. It was eleven in the morning, past when he would've clocked out on a regular shift, and they still didn't have a single lead.

 

"Dead end?"

 

Nick's voice twanged from over in the showers, sounding far too awake for the end of the shift. "You could say that," Warrick murmured, splashing some water on his face and then walking over to the shower partition. "Fingerprints smudged, partial palm without a match in AFIS, and the blood's all the vic's. We ain't got a murder weapon, either." Warrick paused, noticing the stench for the first time despite the water and Nick's vigorous attempts to soap himself clean. "Human soup?" he guessed.

 

"Nope." Warrick shouldn't have let himself watch Nick shower, shouldn't be close enough to see the way his muscles stretched and moved when Nick twisted to look at Warrick over his shoulder, but Nick was a damn good sight for sore eyes after looking at crime scene photos all morning and not having seen Greg for more than twenty-four hours. "Decomp."

 

"Fun," Warrick muttered, giving up pretending he wasn't looking and crossing his arms over the shower partition, resting his chin on the cross section of his forearms. "Tried lemons?"

 

"Last resort, man," Nick drawled, pouring some shampoo into his palm and then scrubbing it through his hair. Part of Warrick wanted to join him, just so he could close his eyes and relax and stop stressing about this damn case. "Stings if it gets in your eyes."

 

"So close your eyes," Warrick murmured, his own eyes falling shut as he rested his head. Apparently he hadn't had enough coffee, because he was starting to drift, in the presence of his attractive, naked friend, no less.

 

"Hey, not you," Nick snapped, and Warrick's head jerked up when Nick splashed him in the face with some water. He was smiling good-naturedly, though, shaking his head with some amusement. "You got a case to solve."

 

Warrick snorted. "Yeah, right." He should step away, not because it was making either of them uncomfortable, because clearly it wasn't; it shouldn't, since they'd showered together at work on several ocassions. He should step away because someone could walk in at any moment, and Warrick didn't feel like explaining himself. Sighing heavily, he pushed away from the showers, still digging around in his head for some new way to look at the case he and Catherine were struggling with. "Guess I'll see y'around."

 

"Hey," Nick called after him, making him stop in the doorway before he left. "Wanna give me a call when you get off and we can do breakfast or somethin'?"

 

Warrick was too tired to wonder if Nick was flirting with him. "Right, like you're not goin' right home t'pass out."

 

"Naw, man, I'm goin' glidin' again."

 

Warrick turned around at that, realizing he hadn't remembered to ask Nick how it was. He'd planned to ask Greg, but he couldn't do that until he was off the clock. "That good?" That was the question he asked out loud, but what he really wanted to ask was if Greg was going to join him again. Even though Warrick couldn't imagine paragliding himself, he was jealous of the time Nick and Greg had had together, sharing a rush that to them was probably as good as sex. And that was if they hadn't had sex after they went gliding.

 

"Man, it was incredible." Nick's face was lit up with such innocent awe that Warrick couldn't comprehend him looking Warrick in the eye without blushing if he and Greg had actually had sex. Nick could only be talking about flying, Warrick realized. "You shoulda been there."

 

Warrick's confidence that Greg hadn't slept with Nick may've been confirmed, but that didn't make the idea of paragliding any more appealing. "Sorry, man. Not my thing."

 

"Your loss," Nick said with a shrug. "Breakfast?"

 

"Yeah," Warrick said with an amused chuckle. "If you're still up then."


	15. Chapter 15  Introspection

  
Author's notes: Warrick has a lot to think about.  


* * *

By the time two o'clock rolled around, Warrick was more frustrated than tired. They had no leads, no suspects, and no new evidence. The victim had been beaten to death with a blunt object, but beyond that, they had nothing. So far, interviews with the family they'd been able to find revealed nothing probative, and no one seemed to know where the vic worked.

 

"All right," Catherine sighed, "I think it's time to call it a day. Go home, get some sleep, and we'll get back to it tonight."

 

Warrick wasn't about to disagree. They weren't getting anywhere with the case, and part of that was probably his fault. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Greg, or Nick for that matter. He had a lot to think about and like the case, he'd reached very few new conclusions.

 

He already knew that he cared about Greg. He loved Greg the way he loved his close friends, and at the moment, Nick was the only other person who fit that profile. What he had with Greg was different, though. At least, Warrick liked to think it was. He and Greg were sleeping together, and Warrick wanted Greg to date him exclusively. There had been times he'd even wanted Greg to move in with him, though he'd never voiced that thought to anyone, barely even admitting it to himself.

 

It wasn't just the fact that Greg was dating other people. Warrick was well aware of that and while there were times he thought he'd come to terms with it, he knew he hadn't really. He wasn't used to sharing his partners with anyone, and Greg was the first person he'd knowingly shared.

 

The first time, he hadn't known about it until too late. Her name was Rachael, and she'd been his college sweetheart. Warrick had fallen hard for her and he'd thought she felt the same way about him. That was, until he'd found out she was sleeping with his best friend. After that, Warrick had walked away and never looked back.

 

He'd been careful with his heart ever since then. Hadn't dated for a few years, and when he did start to get involved again, he'd kept a careful distance from his emotions. Because in the back of his mind, he knew that if Rachael had done it to him, anyone could. And Warrick didn't want to fall in love only to get his heart broken again.

 

Maybe that was why it had been so easy to consent to sleeping with Greg even though he knew Greg was sleeping with other people. In relationships, there were rules, and expectations about fidelity. If there weren't any rules, then they couldn't be broken. At least, that's what Warrick had thought.

 

But he was breaking his own rules by dating someone who was dating other people. His whole life, Warrick had believed in fidelity, monogamy, all the traditional values that went right along with the expectation of settling down and having a family. Maybe there wouldn't be a white picket fence, and maybe his partner would be a man instead of a woman, but Warrick had always known what he wanted. He wanted someone who loved him despite all his faults, someone who trusted him and challenged him to be a better person. As old-fashioned as it was, Warrick just wanted someone to grow old with.

 

He had to face the possibility that that would never happen with Greg. Sure, there'd been the briefest hint of a kiss, but Greg hadn't made any declarations, hadn't said he didn't want to see other people anymore. And Warrick couldn't help but wonder if he was just setting himself up for heartbreak again.

 

Which just made his newfound attraction to Nick all the more insane. That was the other thing Warrick hadn't been able to stop thinking about; the way he hadn't stopped checking Nick out ever since Warrick'd found out he was bi. Warrick was pretty sure this attraction wasn't something that had suddenly happened; it had to've been lurking under the surface for all these years. And he just hadn't acknowledged it to himself until he realized there was a possibility that it might be returned.

 

He wasn't considering for a second pursuing Nick, but Warrick knew he'd been enjoying Nick's company more than ever lately. There was a new bond between them now. They shared something in common that they had to hide with everyone else, except, in Warrick's case, Greg. And hadn't Warrick been wanting to talk to Nick about Greg, anyway? Because even though Warrick shared a lack of heterosexuality with Greg, he couldn't exactly talk about Greg to Greg.

 

Well, he could, but the problem was, Warrick didn't even know where to start. He didn't want to demand anything of Greg and he didn't want to insinuate that the part of himself Greg was sharing wasn't enough. He loved Greg for who Greg was, not who he wanted Greg to be. At least, he should. It wouldn't be fair to either of them if he didn't. Before he asked anything of Greg, Warrick had to figure out what he wanted.

 

Warrick flipped open his cell phone, and dialed.


	16. Chapter 16  Conversation

  
Author's notes: Warrick has even more to think about.  


* * *

"I can't believe you're still up."

 

Nick smiled easily and shrugged, piling Warrick's plate high with steak and eggs and homemade hash browns, sticking it in the microwave, and two pieces of bread in the toaster. It was after two, more than two hours after Warrick usually went to bed, and Nick was as alert as Warrick usually was first thing at night.

 

"I'd rather sleep late than waste the day," he explained, pouring Warrick a cup of coffee and bringing it over to the small kitchen table. His new place wasn't as well furnished as the other one had been, since Nick'd had to move into a place less than half the size of his old house. It was worth the sacrifice, he'd said, because at least in an apartment building, there were other people around. The only ways in and out were the door and the fire escape, and there weren't any attics for stalkers to camp out in and watch him. Nick felt safer here, and that was the most important thing.

 

"Eh, I'm a night person." Warrick shrugged, reaching up for the coffee cup and taking it with a smile of thanks. Nick had refused Warrick's offer to help, practicing the traditional southern hospitality that separated him from so many residents of Vegas.

 

"I know," Nick said with a grin, turning back to the microwave when it dinged. Warrick leaned back and sipped his coffee, watching thoughtfully as Nick performed the tasks that were so routine they were almost done out of habit. Nick was in his element here, playing the host to his guest, cooking up a big breakfast for Warrick even though Nick'd already eaten. "You'd crash on days. Bet you could handle swing, though."

 

That was probably true. The regular graveyard shift was midnight to ten, swing was four in the afternoon until two in the morning. Warrick could handle either of those, and days, if he had to. But he'd been sleeping during the day and working at night for so long that he doubted he'd be able to make the transition too easily. "Yeah, probably. Not plannin' to change my shift, though."

 

Nick chuckled lightly as he set Warrick's plate down in front of him. "Me neither. But, you know. Shit happens."

 

"You just roll with the punches, don't you," Warrick muttered almost to himself, glancing at Nick over the rim of the coffee cup. It was one of the things he admired about Nick, the ability to make the best out of any situation, to always see the silver lining. Nick was an eternal optimist, always seeing the best in the people he met and the circumstances he found himself in. That was one of the biggest differences between them.

 

"So d'you," Nick pointed out. He started to sit down across from Warrick, then popped up from the chair a second later when the toast was done. Getting a smaller plate, Nick brought over the toast with enough butter and jam for a family of eight. "You just put in a few punches of your own."

 

"Yeah." He couldn't argue with that. More often than not, Warrick had to refrain from throwing the first punch. If nothing else, he was always on his toes, looking for a reason to fight as much as he looked for a reason to gamble. It had gotten him into more than his fair share of fights in high school and college. His grandmother always said he was lucky to've made it as far as he had without getting the crap beat outta him.

 

Warrick usually had a generous appetite, and after the long shift and meager lunch, he was hungrier than usual. Nick sat across from him and watched him eat, but Warrick didn't feel pressured to finish quickly. They were friendly enough that they could sit quietly together without the silence being awkward, so as Nick sat watching, sipping quietly at his coffee, Warrick didn't feel uncomfortable in the least. He knew Nick wouldn't be ushering him out the door the minute he was done, and that was one of the reasons Warrick had decided to take him up on the offer of breakfast at his place instead of going out.

 

Nick knew he wanted to talk, even though Warrick had only hinted at it. Nick could usually read him pretty well. It was all part of Nick's empathetic nature, his ability to see past the surface that was presented. It was one of the things that made him a good CSI and an even better friend.

 

As soon as he was done eating, Nick was up and bussing his dishes to the sink, rinsing them off and putting them in the drying rack on the other side of the sink. Nick didn't have a dishwasher here like he'd had at his house, but it didn't seem to matter all that much to him.

 

"I recorded the game on Sunday," Nick said. "Wanna watch with me?"

 

"You haven't had a chance to watch it yet?" Warrick hadn't seen it either, but he hadn't bothered to record it. It was safer if he just stayed away from sports as much as he could, to avoid the temptation to bet on them.

 

"Nope," Nick answered with a shake of his head. "It was the Rams-Chiefs. I've avoided all the scores so far. So?"

 

"Sure, why not." It was better than going home to an empty bed, or having to wake Greg up to get into bed with him. If he didn't wake Greg up, Greg would probably freak when he woke up and wondered who was in bed with him, and if he did wake Greg up, Greg would be groggy and probably grumpy. "I'll just get s'more coffee."

 

Nick tried to take his coffee cup, but Warrick held onto it this time. "It's fine, I got it," he said firmly, smirking when Nick threw his hands up. "You go start the game. Want anything?"

 

Nick smiled slowly. "Nah, I'm good. See you in the livin' room."

 

The 'living room' was adjacent to the kitchen, separated by a wall that took up half the length of the room. For the most part, the kitchen was open, and, like the living room, was visible from the front door. It was plenty big, though, with room for Nick's original three-seater sofa and a decent-sized television across from it.

 

The fridge door clinked shut and Nick left the kitchen, scooting past Warrick in the minimal space. The kitchen was the only part of the apartment Warrick found lacking, not much bigger than the bathroom, but he and Nick didn't usually try to cram into the kitchen together. After he'd gotten his coffee, Warrick headed to the living room, taking a sip from his coffee before he set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Nick was sitting with a bottle of beer on the other end of the sofa, giving Warrick the choice between sitting next to him in the middle or on the far end. Deciding to keep a professional distance for now, Warrick chose the far end of the sofa.

 

They started with the pregame show, getting comfortable in their respective positions as they got into the stats and predictions. Even though he had the ability to fast-forward through the commercials, Nick didn't, either because he forgot to or because he wanted to lengthen the amount of time Warrick was there. Either way, Warrick didn't mind. He had a feeling it was going to take a while for him to get the conversation started.

 

The pregame show was half over when Nick turned to Warrick and asked if he had any plans for the Superbowl. Shaking his head, Warrick leaned back and studied Nick, certain Nick's question was going to turn into an invitation. "I was gonna see if anyone from the department wanted to come for a party," Nick said. "You in?"

 

"If I can," Warrick answered without hesitation. "Lotta people are gonna want that night off."

 

"Yeah, well," Nick said with a grin. "I think Grissom would understand."

 

Warrick raised an eyebrow. "That who you have to sleep with to get a night off around here?"

 

Nick shot him a glare. "If you don't cut it out, I'm gonna tell Greg you have a thing for him."

 

It was a juvenile thing for Nick to say, but Warrick had something else to worry about. Like the fact that it took him so long to realize Nick meant it as a threat that he didn't react in time and may have just outed himself and Greg just by being quiet. "Not till I tell Griss the same thing about you," Warrick threatened, pretending there hadn't been a minute-long pause before he spoke.

 

Nick stared at him for a long time, and for a while, Warrick thought he was in for it. But then Nick just shrugged, lifting the bottle to his mouth and taking a long drink. Lowering the bottle, Nick pointed a finger at Warrick without looking at him. "You're gonna pay for that, Brown," he said calmly, and Warrick smirked.

 

He had to look at it from Nick's point of view, though. Nick didn't know Greg was gay and he didn't know they were sleeping together. Even though Warrick's hesitation might have confused him for a minute, that didn't mean Nick concluded that they were sleeping together. If anything, Nick probably thought Warrick hesitated because he wanted Greg to know, and Nick had decided to let him off the hook. Hell, if Warrick knew Nick, he was probably thinking up ways to get them together now. That would go over well.

 

***

 

Warrick got himself a refill of coffee at halftime, taking a risk and sitting half a cushion closer to Nick on the sofa. A quarter later, Nick went to the kitchen for another beer, and did the same thing Warrick had, sitting half on the end cushion and half on the center one. There was barely any space between them, but Warrick didn't move, determined to play this out and see where it was going to go. If he was this comfortable with Nick, then maybe he'd missed something along the way. He and Nick had more in common than he and Greg, and even though Nick was dating, Warrick had never known Nick to date several people at the same time, just one person after another.

 

Nick was probably looking for the same thing Warrick was, a partner, and just waiting for the right person to come along. Unlike Greg, who just wanted to be young and enjoy himself. Which was fine. That was his prerogative. Unfortunately for Warrick, it also meant that he couldn't find the relationship he wanted with Greg, and he was going to have to start accepting that. It would be hard, given how much he cared about Greg, but if he had to, he would do it.

 

He wasn't making any decisions right now, though. He wasn't ready to give Greg up and he wasn't ready to start dating anyone else. That wasn't how it worked. Besides, he was just here to talk to Nick, to bounce ideas off him and see what Nick's thoughts were on the subject.

 

The game was over. It was late, and he should be asleep, but he was still staring at the blank television, eventually registering Nick's eyes on him. Warrick turned his head and looked sleepily at Nick, waiting for Nick to make his excuses about having to go to sleep and how they'd see each other that night at work.

 

It wasn't apologies or excuses when Nick finally spoke, though. Nick was looking right at him, concern etched in the lines of his face, and at some point he'd stretched his arms out on the back of the sofa. "So, Rick," he said softly, "what's up with you?"

 

Warrick knew it was more than just smalltalk, that the question wasn't as simple as it seemed. Nick knew something was up and he knew Warrick wanted to talk about it. At first, Warrick was at a loss of what to say, but then he decided to just go with what was on his mind. "I'm dating this really great guy," he started.

 

He wasn't sure if it was disappointment he saw on Nick's face, or if that was just what he wanted to see. "And," Nick asked, but Warrick shook his head.

 

"But," he corrected, "he doesn't want to settle down."

 

"And you do," Nick guessed.

 

Warrick nodded. He had no idea if this talk was going to help at all, but it was good to finally get it off his chest, to talk about it with another person. "I knew going into it that he wasn't looking for a commitment. At the time, I wasn't either."

 

"But things have changed," Nick guessed, again correctly, and Warrick nodded again.

 

"Now, he's still dating other people, and I don't see that changing. Every time I mention it, he tries to change the subject." Or made Warrick feel guilty, but Warrick wasn't about to tell that to Nick.

 

Nick was the one who nodded this time. "How long?"

 

"Over six months," Warrick replied, trying not to be too specific, and Nick nodded again, slowly.

 

"And nothing's changed."

 

"No. Well..." Warrick couldn't help but think about the kiss. That seemed like a step in the right direction, but it didn't mean Greg was going to stop dating other people. It just meant they might start kissing now. "A little." Nick sent him a questioning look. Warrick shrugged and leaned back, trying not to feel guilty when his head bumped back against Nick's arm and he let it stay there. Warrick stared up at the ceiling, hoping his next question wouldn't make him look too petty. After a moment of silence and a quiet sigh, he finally spoke up. "Have you ever been with a guy who'd have sex with you, but not kiss you?"

 

If they hadn't been such good friends, Warrick didn't think he would've been able to ask that question without fear of being laughed at. It was such a stupid, little thing, even though it was obviously a big deal for Greg. And Warrick, too. When Nick didn't say anything for the longest time, Warrick turned to look at him, worried he'd said the wrong thing. Maybe Nick didn't kiss, either.

 

Nick cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said roughly. He turned away and stared up at the ceiling like Warrick had been doing, taking his time answering. "When I was in the frat, we did that all the time. Not all guys would have sex with each other, of course, but the ones that did - none of them kissed. You just didn't do that." Nick shrugged heavily, and when his arms relaxed again, one arm rested across Warrick's shoulders instead of the back of the couch. He didn't move his arm.

 

Warrick took a deep breath and stared across the room. Nick was close, and Warrick felt more relaxed than he had all day. He and Greg rarely ever just sat and talked, and when they did, they were always facing each other. Warrick didn't put his arm around Greg's shoulders, and Greg didn't put his arm around Warrick's shoulders. They just didn't do that.

 

Warrick blinked when he realized his own thoughts echoed Nick's. It was just something they didn't do. Maybe they didn't do it for the same reason Nick's frat brothers didn't kiss. Getting off was one thing, but once affection was involved, it was a deeper connection, a more intimate relationship. And maybe, for whatever reason, Greg didn't think he could have that. Maybe he thought Warrick was just like Nick's frat brothers, or whoever Greg had been with who made him think that way. A whole lot of things made sense when Warrick looked at their situation in that light.

 

"Yeah," Warrick finally agreed, nodding slightly to himself. He felt Nick turn to look at him, but he didn't return the gaze, too deep in thought. Would it be too much to hope that that was why Greg not only didn't kiss him, but wouldn't sleep exclusively with him, either? Was that why it had felt like Greg had been feeling him out lately, adding in little touches of affection every once in a while? And if that was the case, was there the hope that things would change between them if he just gave it time?

 

"Guys like that," Nick started, and shook his head, stopping momentarily. Warrick finally turned to face him, and the depth of emotion in Nick's eyes made Warrick wonder if Nick had fallen for one of his frat brothers and never gotten what he wanted from him. "You're lying to yourself if you think anything is going to change," Nick said harshly. "If he hasn't by now..."

 

Warrick pulled back enough to really stare at Nick, the man he'd thought was the eternal optimist. Was it all an act? Did Nick just smile that bright, innocent smile so everyone would think everything was okay? "Nick," he said, because the conversation wasn't about him and Greg anymore. It was about Nick and whoever had hurt him.

 

Nick didn't let him finish. Instead, he shifted toward Warrick, and crushed their lips together.


	17. Chapter 17  Indecision

  
Author's notes: Nick asks the hard questions.  


* * *

Warrick was torn. Not between kissing Nick and not kissing Nick; he was torn between pretending Nick was Greg and acknowledging to himself that Nick was kissing him. He wanted both, and that was probably the most surprising thing in all of this.

 

Nick murmured something against his lips, but Warrick didn't hear him the first time. He was too hungry for the kiss, for the intimate contact he hadn't had with Greg in all the time they'd been sleeping together. Even the brush of Greg's lips against his was nothing compared to this.

 

Nick was murmuring again, but this time, the words registered. He's not gonna change. Warrick didn't know why Nick was trying so hard to convince him; it couldn't just be that Nick was attracted to him. Nick was better than that. He wasn't that selfish.

 

The words brought him back to reality, though. Warrick broke the kiss, panting against Nick's mouth. "We're not talking about the same person," he reminded Nick gently, hanging on with his hands on Nick's shoulders.

 

That seemed to sober Nick, but he didn't back down. Warrick had to give him props for that. The look on Nick's face was both concerned and determined, and he brought his hands up to frame Warrick's face, capturing his complete attention. "You need to ask yourself a question," he said steadily. "And you need to think about the answer, and then you need to answer it honestly. Not to me; to yourself." Nick seemed to be searching his face, his eyes, for some answer. "Do you want to settle down just because you're at that point in your life, and he just happens to be the person you're dating right now? Or is he the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

 

"I don't know," Warrick whispered. He hadn't asked himself that question; hadn't thought he had to. He was with Greg; he cared about Greg. That was all there was to it.

 

"I know," Nick said gently, stroking his thumbs over Warrick's cheekbones. Warrick's eyes drifted shut. He was so tired, so confused. He didn't know what he wanted. Who he wanted. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here. When you know the answer," Nick continued softly, "you'll know what to do. If it's just that you want to settle down, and not necessarily with him, you have to move on. If it is him, Rick, and he doesn't change... I can be here when he doesn't give you what you need."

 

Warrick opened his eyes to look into Nick's. "I can't do that to him." It was that simple.

 

But Nick still didn't back down. "Why not?" His voice was gentle, calm. "Why can't you do to him what he's doing to you? If he won't compromise, why should you have to?"

 

The question was harsh, especially coming from someone as forgiving as Nick. "I can't. It's the principle of the thing."

 

"If it's against your principles to be with other people, why were you just kissing me?" Warrick felt his temper flare at the accusation, and he started to pull away, angered that Nick would ask that kind of question when he'd been the one who initiated the kiss. But Nick just held on tighter, and didn't let him pull away. "And if it's against your principles to be with other people, and he does just that, then he's not living up to your principles. How is it okay for him to do something you won't do yourself?"

 

"I don't know," Warrick ground out, frustrated with Nick and frustrated with the questions he didn't have answers to. "I just can't."

 

Nick nodded slightly, offering Warrick a small smile. "It's because you love him more than you love yourself." Warrick started at that, words and ideas far stronger than he'd let himself think, never mind say out loud. But Nick was saying them. "It's okay," Nick said, a gentle smile on his face as he pulled back, running his knuckles down the side of Warrick's face. "You'll get used to the idea. And when you do, you can decide what to do." With that, Nick got up, and walked away.

 

Confused, Warrick lifted half off the sofa, watching Nick's progress. "Where are you going?"

 

"To sleep," Nick answered, coming back with sheets and a pillow. "And so are you. Get up," he said, and Warrick was too surprised to say no.

 

"Wait," he finally said, when he realized Nick was making up the couch for one of them to sleep in. "I can't stay here."

 

"You can, and you will," Nick said firmly. "If you fall asleep where you're standing, you'll get five good hours before we have to go to work, and that's if you're lucky," he explained, and Warrick realized Nick had reverted back to the good host mode.

 

"You don't have to-"

 

"Rick, I can tell how exhausted you are. You're not driving when you're this tired and you're not going to get even less sleep by wasting the time waiting for me to drive you home or to get a cab. You'll sleep here, and then we'll go to work."

 

Warrick was tempted to argue, but Nick was actually making sense. Sure, it was probably the exhaustion speaking, but Nick was right. He'd be lucky to get five hours of sleep before work and he was already frustrated enough with the case as it was. If he waited for a cab, it'd be a half hour before he got home and probably another half hour before he got to sleep.

 

It wasn't like Nick was even asking Warrick to share his bed. He was offering a place to sleep, nothing more. And despite the kiss they'd shared earlier, Warrick knew he could trust that Nick didn't have an ulterior motive. Nick was just being a good friend, like he had been by asking the tough questions.

 

The attraction between them was a subject for another time. For now, Warrick needed to figure out how he felt about Greg, and what he was going to do about it.


	18. Chapter 18  Affection

  
Author's notes: Warrick tests a theory.  


* * *

Warrick had eaten and showered by the time Nick crawled out of bed. He hadn't been able to sleep in, too used to getting up at ten to get ready for work so he wouldn't have to rush. He started another pot of coffee while Nick took a shower, then stripped the sofa while he was waiting for Nick to get dressed.

 

Nick emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, yawning behind his hand as he made his way to the kitchen. He looked exhausted, going through the motions of starting a new pot before he realized that Warrick'd already taken care of it. "Oh, thanks," he said, surprised, and poured himself a cup.

 

Warrick chuckled. "I take it you're not a 'morning' person." It wasn't technically morning, but Nick would know what he meant. Nick just shrugged tiredly, leaning heavily against the counter as he steadily drained the cup of coffee. "Well, I'm outta here."

 

"Kay." Nick smiled at him from the kitchen, and Warrick was so struck by the domesticity of the scene, Nick looking at him like that, casually holding a cup of coffee, so familiar that Warrick had to pause. Greg looked at him like that sometimes, and Warrick always just smiled back and left, sure that Greg would reject him if he tried to give him a goodbye kiss. "You okay?" The smile remained, but Nick's forehead creased with concern, and Warrick realized that he hadn't moved.

 

"Yeah, I'm good," Warrick said thoughtfully. "I was just thinking about this morning." Actually, he was thinking about what would happen if he tried to kiss Nick. And he was pretty sure that Nick would return the gesture.

 

Nick nodded, the concern fading from his face. "So you're gonna think about what I said?"

 

"Yeah." He'd already started thinking about what Nick had said, trying to figure out why he was so sure it was Greg specifically that he wanted to settle down with when it was clear that he was interested in Nick. He was sure everything was going to come into perspective when he saw Greg again, which was why he was planning to call Greg on his way to work and make a date. "Can I just ask you something?"

 

"Sure," Nick said quietly. He was still in the kitchen, across from Warrick at the front door, but Warrick didn't move any closer even though he wanted to.

 

"Why are you doing this?"

 

He could have been more specific, but Nick seemed to understand. He smiled and then looked away as he refilled his coffee, looking back up at Warrick when he answered. "Because I've been exactly where you are right now. I had to learn the hard way. There's no reason both of us have to."

 

***

 

 

When Warrick thought about it, though, Nick had only been saying the things Warrick had been thinking all along. Maybe he hadn't reached the same conclusions Nick had, and maybe he hadn't put all the pieces together as coherently as Nick, but he'd been headed in the same direction. He knew he had a lot to think about before he made any decisions.

 

"No, I don't have any plans," Greg said when Warrick asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice. "You wanna come over when you get outta work tomorrow?"

 

"No doubt." He pulled into the parking lot, lingering on the phone in his parked car. "Well, I'm here. Have fun on your night off."

 

"Heh, yeah," Greg chuckled, and it felt like everything was back to normal again. "I'll see you in the morning."

 

"See you then," Warrick replied, and wondered why he had the urge to end the call by telling Greg he loved him. Ignoring it, he hung up, and headed into the crime lab.

 

***

 

Sara was staring at him. Pretending not to, but every time Warrick looked down at his lunch, he felt her eyes on him, could see her looking out of the corner of her eyes. Warrick glanced at Catherine, but she wasn't paying attention to either of them, more frustrated by the papers she had in front of her. Warrick was pretty sure it had something to do with Eddie, but he didn't pry.

 

Sara was still staring at him. Warrick snapped his head up to look at her before she could look away again, and she turned suddenly toward the coffee pot, tapping her foot and pretending she hadn't just been caught.

 

"Okay," he said, not willing to let it go this time. "What?"

 

"Nothing." Sara answered far too quickly for Warrick to believe her denial. Deciding to fight fire with fire, he stared at her until she started fidgeting. Let her see how it felt. "Okay, okay," she finally conceded, turning back to look at him again. "Aren't those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?"

 

Catherine was looking at him now, too. "No," he scoffed, but now that he thought of it, he hadn't remembered to change before work, or once he'd gotten there. He'd been thinking about Greg just a little too much.

 

"So who was she?" Sara asked, ignoring his earlier comment. Warrick sighed and rolled his eyes.

 

"Did it ever occur to you that it's none of your business?" Warrick could tell that wasn't the answer she'd been hoping for. Nodding at Catherine, Warrick pushed up from the table and threw away the remainder of his lunch. "I'll see ya in the evidence room," he said, ignoring Sara. Just his luck that she'd be maxed out and still bored enough to notice things she shouldn't be noticing.

 

***

 

Catherine sighed and ran the back of her hand across her forehead, shaking her head at the evidence that had failed to lead them in any new direction. If there'd been any new cases, they'd've probably been assigned to them by now.

 

"All right," Cath finally said, and Warrick looked up hopefully. "We're not getting anywhere. I'm just gonna call it a day."

 

That was one of the reasons Warrick loved working with Cath. She knew when to quit. And she didn't know it, but if he clocked out now, he'd get an extra hour with Greg this morning. Warrick just hoped Greg would be home. He probably had plans for his night off.

 

He decided to check the house first. Greg's car was in the driveway, but five minutes after Warrick knocked, there still wasn't any answer. It was time to give him a call.

 

Greg picked up after several rings, and it was another few seconds before he said anything. "Hey." Greg stopped speaking for a minute, and he was breathing hard. Sounded like he was trying to catch his breath. "You get off early?"

 

"Uh, yeah." Heavy breathing wasn't something he often heard from Greg unless they were having sex or unless Greg had just rambled on about their results for several minutes, excited about the information he was about to impart. "Am I too early?"

 

"Nope," Greg said, and Warrick could hear the grin in his voice. "Let yourself in, the door's open. Hey, I left a water bottle in the freezer, can you take it out for me?"

 

"Sure..."

 

"Cool." Greg's panting picked up again, and Warrick wondered if he was running. "I'll be there in a minute."

 

Five minutes later, Warrick heard the front door slam shut, and wandered out of the kitchen to find Greg leaning back against the door and trying to catch his breath. He was wearing tennis shoes and shorts and a System of a Down t-shirt, not an unusual outfit for work except for the shorts. Even when they were just hanging out at Greg's, Greg didn't usually wear anything that showed off his legs. He thought he was too skinny, and he hated his knees. Warrick, on the other hand, thought they looked just fine.

 

"Thanks," Greg said with a grin, taking the water bottle from Warrick. When he'd taken it out of the freezer, it'd been half full of ice. Thinking that Greg would be thirsty, Warrick had filled the rest with water. Greg took a long gulp, then grinned up at Warrick. "Damn, that hits the spot."

 

Warrick could think of something else that would hit the spot, and for once, he didn't resist his impulses. If his theory was right, Greg hadn't been kissing him because he didn't think Warrick wanted to be kissed. Warrick was going to test his theory and prove Greg wrong at the same time.

 

"I can tell," he said, and swooped in for a kiss. One hand on Greg's hip, the other in his hair, his mouth pressed firmly to Greg's before he pulled away. Greg stared up at him with wide eyes. "Want some more water?" he asked, and Greg nodded dumbly.

 

Warrick couldn't help grinning. He took Greg's water bottle back to the kitchen to refill it, handing it back to Greg who'd followed him in. "Um..." Greg started, staring at the water bottle and then back up at Warrick. "So work was... good?"

 

"Work sucked." Greg looked more confused than ever, but he didn't ask any more questions. He looked a little dumbfounded. "How was your jog?"

 

"It was okay. It was still cool outside so I thought I'd take advantage of it." Greg brought his free hand up to his mouth as he continued to stare at Warrick. "It's okay if I kiss you?" he asked softly, and Warrick wanted to hurt whoever it was who'd made Greg think it wasn't okay.

 

"Yeah, of course," he answered quietly. It seemed that he'd been right. There was just one thing that didn't make sense, though. Greg had been there too the first time, when Warrick had kissed him. Greg had been the one to pull away. But then, maybe Nick was right. Once that kind of thought process had been ingrained, maybe it wasn't possible to change. Not right away, at least.

 

Setting his water bottle on the counter, Greg stepped closer, looking tentative and determined at the same time. Warrick didn't push, instead letting Greg take his time, smiling softly as Greg's hands came up to frame his face. Warrick had no idea it was going to be this easy. Sure, they hadn't talked yet, and he still didn't know what was going to happen with their relationship, but Greg was finally opening up, being affectionate. And Warrick hadn't been this happy in a long time.

 

The kiss started out as light as it had been the first time, when Greg's lips had brushed against his after Warrick told him to have fun with Nick. Greg's lips lingered for a long time, and he seemed to be realizing that Warrick was serious, that it was okay for him to kiss Warrick. Warrick's arms slipped around Greg's waist as the kiss deepened, something he'd wanted to do so many times. When Greg broke the kiss, he was out of breath again, a wide smile on his face.

 

Then he pulled back and ducked his head, still grinning. "I should go take a shower," he said self-consciously. "I stink."

 

"You're fine," Warrick reassured him with a chuckle. "But if you're sure, maybe I could join you." They didn't often shower together unless they were going to have sex, but that wasn't why Warrick was offering this time. He just wanted to be with Greg.

 

"Yeah," Greg said with a shy smile. "I think I'd like that."


	19. Chapter 19  Lovers

  
Author's notes: Permission is an aphrodisiac.  


* * *

Now that Greg knew it was okay, it was like a dam had burst. He couldn't seem to get enough, and neither could Warrick. They kissed all the way to the bathroom, alternating between quick, light butterfly kisses that allowed them to separate long enough to look where they were going, and long, deep kisses that ended up delaying their progress to the shower a total of almost ten minutes.

 

"I love your lips," Greg said breathlessly, dragging his thumb across Warrick's upper lip, then his lower one. Warrick parted his lips, pressing a kiss to the pad of Greg's thumb, keeping his eyes locked on Greg's the whole time. Greg shuddered and curled his hand around the back of Warrick's neck, pulling him into another kiss.

 

"Yours aren't so bad either," he managed, his eyes dancing at the smile that stole Greg's lips for a moment. Then Greg's lips were his again, and they crashed against the bathroom doorway, the moulding on the doorframe pressing against Warrick's shoulder blade. "Forget the shower," he breathed. "We're just gonna get messy again anyway."

 

"You sure?" Greg teased. He hooked his fingers through the belt loops on Warrick's jeans, tugging him away from the doorframe and then flattening his hands against Warrick's chest to push him back onto the bed. It had been a while since Greg'd been this aggressive, this confident, and it was the first time kissing had been involved.

 

"That's the plan, anyway," he answered breathlessly, his voice huskier than usual. Happily submitting to the way Greg was taking control, he attempted to catch his breath when Greg pulled back to peel his shirt off, his hands settling on Greg's hips.

 

Greg straddled his thighs, breathing heavily as he smoothed his hands over Warrick's t-shirt; plain, medium grey, nothing special. "As good as this shirt looks on you," Greg said with a grin, "I think it has to go."

 

Warrick pushed himself up onto his elbows, the two of them fumbling to take off his shirt, both trying to touch as much as they could along the way. It made the process take longer, but Warrick wasn't complaining.

 

Once they were naked from the waist up, Greg smiled down at him, then levered himself down to lie on top of Warrick. When they were face to face, Greg supported himself with his elbows on either side of Warrick's head, smiling softly down at him before he lowered his lips to Warrick's again.

 

This kiss was soft and slow and leisurely, unlike any of the ones they'd shared on the way from the kitchen. Warrick savored it. Savored Greg. Wrapped his arms around Greg's broad back, holding him close, reveling in the sensation of Greg's bare skin against his, Greg's lips opening over his, Greg's tongue finally coming into play. While Greg's lips were salty with the taste of sweat, the inside of his mouth tasted fresh, a reminder of ice-cold water and the rich, sweet remnants of coffee.

 

Greg sucked on his lower lip for a moment, then kissed Warrick's cheek, his neck, his collarbone. When Warrick realized Greg was going south, he stopped him with a hand in Greg's hair and a shake of his head.

 

Greg's eyes were wide, and Warrick realized he thought he'd done something wrong. "I don't wanna stop kissing you," he reassured Greg, who smiled with relief once the words seemed to sink in. He crawled back up Warrick's body and kissed him again, brief, light kisses before pulling back enough to look down at him.

 

"I want you," he explained in a whisper, and Warrick smiled.

 

"I know," he whispered back, reaching up to stroke the side of Greg's face. "I want you too." They'd been together so many times, but Warrick knew this time would be different. It would be a first, for both of them.

 

Warrick hadn't felt like this about anyone since Rachael. The realization hit him hard and he wondered if Nick was right; if it meant that he loved Greg. Not the way he loved a friend or a brother, but the way he would love a partner, someone he was with in all meanings of the word.

 

Greg smiled his relief, the wheels visibly turning as he put the pieces together, that they were going to have sex but not stop kissing, either. There were so many possibilities, and Warrick knew what Greg wanted before he even put the thought into action.

 

Greg shuffled down Warrick's body as Warrick sat up, providing better access for when Greg was ready to take off his pants. His belt had to go first, though, and Greg slid it through the belt loops slowly, his fingers lingering on the brown leather for a moment before he discarded it onto the floor. Warrick's interest was piqued, but he was soon distracted by Greg's fingers on his zipper, undoing his pants and then pulling down as Warrick lifted his hips up, taking Warrick's boxers in the same motion.

 

"Socks or no socks," Greg pondered with a quirky grin, and Warrick shrugged easily, content to watch Greg as he decided. Then Greg pulled off his socks in one quick yank, slipping off the bed to strip off his own shorts and socks and boxers. "Okay," he said triumphantly, grinning down at Warrick. "The clothes have been conquered."

 

Warrick laughed out loud and pulled him down for a hard, fast kiss. Greg squeaked in surprise, and it felt like they'd been doing this forever.

 

"Okay," Greg finally gasped, "we have to go to step two now."

 

"Step two?"

 

"Yup," Greg confirmed with a nod and, amazingly, a straight face. "Now turn your head and cough..." Warrick blinked. "No, no, I'm kidding. Sorry. Heh. Sorry." Greg started laughing again and collapsed onto his chest, his laughs slowing gradually.

 

Warrick smiled softly, reaching up to stroke Greg's hair. "You okay, babe?"

 

Greg nodded against his chest, finally raising his face to Warrick's. He didn't look as serious or hysterical as he had a moment ago. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I guess," he said with a shrug and a smile.

 

"Hey, hey." Warrick trailed his fingers down the side of Greg's face, trying to relax him a little. "You ain't got nothin' to be nervous about. And, yanno, we don't have to do this if you're not ready." He never thought he'd say something like that to Greg, who he'd had sex with so many times. But it wasn't just sex any more, for either of them. Greg was finally letting himself involve his emotions, and that made all the difference.

 

Warrick had done this before, and while he was sure Greg had wanted to, he was also sure that Greg hadn't gotten to do it himself. It was called making love, and the thought was a little overwhelming after all these years. Now that he thought of it, he was a little nervous himself. This time would be different, and it would probably mean everything to Greg. Warrick didn't know if he could live up to that responsibility.

 

He didn't expect Greg to accept his offer in a million years, but to his surprise, Greg nodded. "Let's wait," he said, and covered Warrick's body with his own. Then he echoed Warrick's earlier words, a genuine smile lighting up his face. "I don't wanna stop kissing you."


	20. Chapter 20  Confrontation

  
Author's notes: Christmas brings out the worst in people.  


* * *

At some point during the night, he'd had an orgasm. He knew this because he could feel it, the drying sticky substance on his stomach, along his groin. Not surprising, since they'd both fallen asleep hard, more interested in kissing each other until they were too drowsy to coordinate their lips. It was a first for Warrick, that was for damn sure. But not something he wouldn't mind doing again.

 

Greg mumbled incoherently against his chest, and Warrick couldn't help grinning. It was the first time he'd woken up with Greg in his arms and known for sure that Greg wanted to be there. Warrick pressed his lips to the top of Greg's head, grateful that he'd decided to take the plunge and kiss Greg yesterday. He wasn't sure he would have if his conversation with Nick hadn't given him some insight into Greg's thought process.

 

Greg stirred when Warrick kissed him, and unlike when that happened several days ago, Greg stayed in his arms. He turned his face up to Warrick, pressing their lips together before he even opened his eyes. "Evening, sleepyhead," he murmured, and Greg smiled, raising his eyes to meet Warrick's.

 

"Hey," he murmured sleepily, then sniffed delicately and fidgeted against Warrick, his eyes dropping momentarily under the blankets. "Did you have anything to do with that?" he asked, attempting to put a suspicious tone in his voice, but Warrick didn't buy it. He chuckled.

 

"I thought that was me," he said, and watched Greg chew thoughtfully on his lip for a moment. This time, Warrick didn't hesitate to lean in and kiss the slightly swollen lip when Greg released it.

 

Greg grinned. "I think it was both of us," he said with a serious nod. When he glanced up at Warrick through his eyelashes, though, the spark of mischeif there let Warrick know that Greg's humor was in full swing.

 

"Hm, too bad we missed it." It was a casual comment, but it was also designed to test the waters, see if Greg regretted the decision he'd made that morning. For his part, Warrick was glad they'd decided to wait. It felt like it meant more that way, and one of the things he'd worried about with all of Greg's dating was that he was one of many and didn't mean as much to Greg. Now, he had no doubt that he was important to Greg, that he was more than a friend and more than a lay. They still hadn't talked, though. Warrick had no idea if Greg was planning to continue dating.

 

Greg smiled lightly, brushing his lips against Warrick's in a brief kiss. "There'll be other times," he said simply, kissing Warrick one more time before he tossed the covers off and pushed out of bed. "Come on," he urged with a grin. "I think we earned that shower."

 

***

 

The last two nights had no doubt been a fluke, because they started getting crime scenes left and right. Warrick was forced to put the case he and Cath had been working on the back burner, the way back burner, and was assigned to two cases at once, not an uncommon occurrence after Thanksgiving rolled around. It was closer to Christmas now, right in the middle of the busiest part of their year, because the holidays always brought out the worst in people.

 

It certainly wreaked havoc on his attempts to spend time with Greg. Sure, Warrick saw him once in a while when he had evidence to be analyzed, but more often then not, Greg was swamped with samples from at least ten cases at a time. Warrick didn't have much time to miss him, between the cases he had on his hands and the court dates that appeared out of nowhere. Between the influx of holiday crimes and the judges eager to get trials off their benches before Christmas, Warrick was almost as swamped as Greg. And forget about doing anything with him after shift. The times they did get to see each other, they were both too exhausted to do anything other than sleep.

 

Things were going well between them, though. Greg was still affectionate, more than ever, and even though he had another date every once in a while, it didn't change the way he acted with Warrick. Which was odd, when he thought about it, because if he'd been Greg, he would've been focusing exclusively on Warrick, especially with how busy the holidays had them. But Warrick wasn't Greg, so he didn't know why Greg had to go to other people to get from them what he could get from Warrick. He tried not to be jealous, tried not to ask questions, tried to give Greg the benefit of the doubt. He and Greg were happy and almost on the same page, finally. At least they were on the same chapter with each other, even if Greg was still a few pages behind.

 

Or maybe Warrick was the one who was a few pages behind. Who the hell knew? It was the new century, hell, the new millenium. Who was he to tell Greg that he couldn't have his cake and eat it too? Even though he didn't completely buy his own desperate attempts to be okay with Greg's lifestyle, pretending he believed it made it just a little easier to deal with it. And all Warrick knew was that their relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds. He refused to let his stubborn principles and jealousy destroy what he'd wanted for so long.

 

At this point in his life, his demanding work schedule was the best thing that could've happened to him. It forced him to focus on that rather than the insecurities that remained, and it left him too tired to actively question Greg's choices. After the season died down, Warrick would figure out how to talk to him. For now, he was content with Greg's kisses and with being able to wake up with Greg in his arms.

 

***

 

 

He spent Christmas Eve at Greg's, grateful to be able to share that evening with Greg. Some people thought it was just a day like any other, but most people, including Warrick, considered it to be special, and it meant a lot to Warrick to have that night with Greg. They both had to go to work right after, of course, but they enjoyed an evening full of talking and laughing together, kissing under the mistletoe in Greg's front doorway before they left for work.

 

The shift started at midnight, so technically, they worked Christmas day, not Christmas Eve. Nick had the night off, and so did Sara; the caseload was just heavy enough that Grissom had to take on one of the cases himself instead of working on one of his experiments. Warrick barely saw Greg all night, only getting the chance to see him at the beginning of the night in the locker room and not again until near the end of the shift when they finally had some decent evidence to be analyzed.

 

He clocked out an hour after the normal shift ended, and Greg was just a few minutes behind them. They hadn't exactly planned it that way, but it wasn't a coincidence, either.

 

Warrick pulled into the driveway behind Greg, parking his car just as Catherine opened the door. Greg had been right; there was mistletoe over the doorway, and sure enough, Warrick saw Greg kissing Catherine on the cheek as he climbed out of the car.

 

Conveniently enough, Greg was still in the doorway by the time Warrick made the walk up the driveway. He gave Catherine a polite kiss on the cheek, then, at Greg's pointed look at the mistletoe, 'allowed' Greg to give him a kiss on the cheek. Anyone watching would've just contributed it to Greg; he may not have been out at work, but they all knew he was an equal opportunity flirt, and it wasn't likely they would think anything of Greg kissing a coworker under the mistletoe. It was tradition, after all.

 

The wolf-whistling coming from inside indicated that they weren't the first ones there. Nick and Sara had already arrived, along with a few people Warrick assumed were Catherine's friends. "Yeah, yeah," Greg said, waving at them lightly. "Show's over, guys."

 

There was a screech from the other end in the house, and as it drew closer, Warrick recognized it as Lindsey's voice. "Warrick!" she exclaimed, pushing past her mother and Greg to jump into Warrick's arms. Warrick laughed, picking Lindsey up even as Cath berated her for being too old to behave like that. Lindsey ignored her, pointing upwards. "It's mistletoe," she giggled, and Warrick obliged her with a kiss on the forehead.

 

"Okay, enough of that," Cath laughed, taking Lindsey out of his arms and shooing her toward the living room. "She refused to let anyone open their presents until you got here," she confided, stepping back to allow Warrick and Greg inside. "If they're impatient, it's your fault."

 

Warrick chuckled as they followed her to the living room, glancing questioningly at the look Greg was giving him. Greg just shrugged and smiled and shook his head, preceding Warrick into the living room and taking the last remaining seat on the couch between two women Warrick didn't know.

 

Lindsey had the all-important job of handing out the gifts. They'd done a Secret Santa, so each participant only had to buy one gift, and it wasn't too personal. Warrick had gotten something for Greg, too, something he planned to give him the next time they were alone together.

 

There were about halfway through opening presents when the doorbell rang. Cath excused herself to answer the door, and Lindsey picked up another present to be opened by one of the guests. A moment later, Warrick heard the beginnings of an argument from the front door. "What do you think you're doing?"

 

Warrick was going to stay out of it until he heard Eddie's voice. "Mistletoe, babe." Already scowling, Warrick got up from his seat, heading for the front door. "Come on, just one kiss."

 

Catherine had her hands on her hips, a disbelieving glare aimed at Eddie. "You're not supposed to be here till six."

 

Eddie was still invading her personal space, so Warrick stepped up. Eddie shot him a suspicious look, then reached for Catherine's arm. Catherine jerked away.

 

"Hey Cath," Warrick said calmly, keeping his eyes on Eddie the whole time, "he givin' you any trouble?"

 

Eddie didn't give her a chance to answer. He crowded her, glaring at Warrick. "Your boyfriend gotta stand up for you?" he demanded.

 

"Go away, Eddie," Catherine said tiredly. When he wouldn't stop crowding her, Warrick stepped in and crowded him.

 

"I think you should come back later," Warrick said in a low, threatening voice. When it became clear that he wasn't about to back down, Eddie scowled and left. Warrick slammed the door shut behind him, turning to Catherine when it was done. "You okay?" he asked, and she nodded, putting a tired hand to her forehead. In the living room, Catherine's guests were pretending to ignore what had just happened.

 

Lindsey was the only one who wasn't pretending. She was staring at both of them, her lower lip quivering. Before either of them could say anything, Lindsey took off and ran upstairs. Cath sighed. "I better go talk to her," she said, glancing toward the living room and then up the stairs. "Can you keep an eye on things for me?"

 

"Sure," he said softly, watching her go. It has started out as a nice Christmas party, but then Eddie had to show up and ruin this special day for Cath.

 

It was true. Christmas did bring out the worst in people.


	21. Chapter 21  Boyfriends

  
Author's notes: Warrick gets a wakeup call.  


* * *

Sara was the first to leave, and Nick soon followed. Once the party started breaking up, Warrick spoke to Cath, offering to spend the day so he could be there when Eddie got there. He needn't have offered, though; her girlfriends were staying, because unlike Warrick, their regular jobs were nine-to-five, so they didn't have to sleep during the day.

 

For his part, Warrick was exhausted. He'd been working longer, busier hours for the past few weeks, and he'd stayed for as long as he could keep his eyes open. Fortunately, he didn't have work tonight, so he could afford to sleep in. The only thing that would've made it better would be if Greg had the night off, too.

 

Greg met him by his car. Since they were the only ones left at Cath's who worked together, it wouldn't be suspicious if they had a casual conversation. It wouldn't be casual, of course, but no one watching would know that.

 

He smiled widely as Greg came to join him by the car, fairly certain about what was going to happen. While he hoped that he could spend the rest of Christmas with Greg, he didn't have any illusions about their relationship. There were so many people Greg might want to spend Christmas with. That didn't mean Warrick wasn't going to try, though. "Hey," he said, trying to sound more casual than hopeful. "I got you something. I was wondering if you'd wanna come over to get it tonight."

 

Greg smiled, but the look in his eyes gave him away before he even answered. "I'd love to," he said quietly, "but I already have other plans."

 

Warrick nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. He'd known this would be happening. He'd known all along. It was what he'd agreed to. "It's okay." He kept his voice light, even though part of him wanted to punish Greg for having another date by letting him see just how okay it wasn't.

 

And he knew it had to be another date, because if it wasn't, Greg would've been more specific. He would've said he was having dinner with his family or some old friends. Sometimes, Warrick wondered if it wouldn't be easier if Greg just lied to him. Cheated behind his back without letting him know instead of being so open about the fact that he was dating other people. But Warrick knew he would inevitably find out, and it would hurt more than Greg's honesty.

 

Maybe he would take Nick up on his offer. Not today, of course, because he'd be lucky if he managed to drive home without passing out. But there was always tomorrow. And even if it was just talking, getting out his frustrations, that would be enough that he could live with it. For how long? Until New Year's when Greg had someone else to kiss? Until Valentine's Day when he couldn't celebrate it with Greg because Greg had another Valentine? They were just holidays, Warrick knew that, but they were also traditions, times to be with your loved one and tell him, show him how much you cared. And Warrick couldn't do that with Greg.

 

Maybe Nick was right. Maybe it was time for him to move on.

 

"No, it's not," Greg said with a sigh. He stepped even closer, putting a hand on Warrick's chest and Warrick looked at him questioningly, wondering why Greg would risk such a non-casual touch in public. "I got to spend last night with you, so it's only fair that my other boyfriend gets me tonight." Greg bit his lip hard, trying to keep his expression composed as he waited for the words to sink in.

 

Other boyfriend. Those were the only words that registered at first. Other. Boyfriend. Which meant that Greg another boyfriend - only one. And it also meant... "You think of me as your boyfriend?"

 

Greg deflated with visible relief, probably relieved that Warrick wasn't yelling or glaring or driving away. He nodded, his cheeks gaining a rosy tint. "Boyfriend, partner, lover, whatever you wanna call it. Yeah."

 

Lover. Warrick could hardly think. How many times had he hoped that Greg would see him as a lover, and how many times had he been convinced it would never happen? But it had, and... there was another. Another boyfriend, another partner, another lover. "I don't understand," he said quietly.

 

Greg licked his lips. "It's kind of a long story. I want... I want to tell you, but not here. I..." Greg was visibly struggling, trying to keep in the words. "I wanna tell you right now, but, but he's waiting for me."

 

"Oh." It was such a simple word, but it meant so much, and if the devastated look on Greg's face was any indication, it spoke volumes. Warrick wanted to reassure Greg, but at the same time, he was desperate for reassurance himself.

 

"I promise I'll explain everything tomorrow morning. I mean, if that's okay," Greg added quickly. He still looked nervous, his eyes shining with hope. "Is it okay if I come over tomorrow?"

 

Warrick nodded jerkily without even thinking. Tomorrow morning was the soonest Greg was going to be able to explain everything to him, between Greg's date now and work tonight. And Warrick would rather not have Greg tell him over the phone. Greg gave a tiny smile, mouthing 'thank you' as if he couldn't get the words out, then dropped his hand and took a step back. "Wait," Warrick said, thinking of something. Greg looked up at him, a mask of neutrality on his face. "Does he know?"

 

Greg let out a deep breath and shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I'm going to tell him tonight."

 

"Oh," Warrick murmured, tilting his head and studying Greg's face. "Are you going to tell him who I am?"

 

"Not if you don't want me to," Greg promised, and Warrick realized that if Greg had planned to tell him that, he would've just told Warrick who the other guy was. Of course, if they didn't know each other, a name wouldn't mean anything.

 

Warrick thought about it. He wasn't sure he wanted the other guy to know his name until he knew what was going on; until Greg had explained everything to him. Even then, he wasn't sure he wanted Greg's other boyfriend to know him. Warrick didn't exactly like picturing Greg with another guy, and if he was able to put a face and a name to that image, it would be even worse. He shook his head. "Not yet."

 

"Okay," Greg agreed with a hesitant smile. Warrick smiled back, letting it reach his eyes. Greg smiled wider. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

 

"Yeah," Warrick grinned. "See you then."

 

On the plus side, he was wide awake for the drive home.


	22. Chapter 22  Confession

  
Author's notes: Greg tells all.  


* * *

Warrick slept later than usual. For once, he wasn't looking forward to his night off, and he knew why. A night off meant ten hours without distraction to think about what Greg had already told him, to wonder what else Greg was going to tell him. There was something to be explained, and frankly, Warrick was having a hard time preparing himself for the possibilities.

 

The most pressing question was whether it was better or worse to be sharing Greg with only one person instead of the several people Warrick thought were involved. On the one hand, it meant that he was important to Greg, that Greg might even love Warrick the way Warrick loved him. There was one difference, though. Warrick loved Greg and Greg alone. Greg loved Warrick and he loved his other boyfriend.

 

That was where he had the problem. It wasn't the number of people he had to share Greg with; it was the fact that he had to share Greg at all. How could Greg possibly love both of them equally? How could Warrick be assured that Greg wouldn't choose the other boyfriend over him? Even with just one other person, Warrick knew he might lose Greg. That was the last thing he wanted.

 

It was startling to realize that was how he felt. When everything was said and done, the thing that most concerned him about sharing Greg was that he might lose Greg to the other person. When there'd been a lot of people, at least theoretically, Warrick's concern had been that he didn't have Greg, period. Now that it seemed like he had Greg, he only had half of him. Eventually, Greg was going to want to decide who he wanted.

 

Warrick was tempted to make the firm decision that Greg should decide there and then when he explained everything that morning. But what if Greg chose the other boyfriend? What if he'd already chosen and was just trying to let Warrick down lightly? Greg had told his other boyfriend first. Why hadn't he told Warrick the night before? Warrick was already torn. Should he do the right thing and let Greg go before Greg left him? Or should he hang on and hope that eventually, Greg would choose him, and everything would be okay?

 

***

 

Warrick laid into the punching bag, oblitering another doubt, another question, with every flight of his fists. This was the only way he knew to clear his head, by exerting so much physical energy and concentration that he was all body and no mind. When he thought about Greg and the situation they were in, he was full of conflicting thoughts and doubts, but when he let go like this, all he could hear was the smack of vinyl against vinyl. It gave him peace of mind for at least a few hours.

 

***

 

He went to the gym for two reasons - to work off his temper, or to work off his frustration. He wasn't angry at Greg, just frustrated by the situation they were in. Not only that, but he was also frustrated by not knowing exactly what the situation was.

 

By the time he finished at the gym, he was too physically exhausted to be frustrated anymore. When he was languid like this, he could think logically. And he knew that he couldn't come to any conclusions until Greg talked to him about what was going on. He needed to have all the facts before he made a decision, or made Greg choose.

 

He still had time to kill, and since he wanted to be home in case Greg got out of work early, he headed down into the basement. His music room was there, his keyboard, guitar, composition paper, music books and a binder full of the songs he'd written. It was the only place he could go to be alone with his music, and he'd never shared it with anyone, not even Greg. But if he was still here when Greg showed up, Warrick had a feeling that might change.

 

He'd been thinking about it for a while. Ever since they kissed that time after Greg got back from his jog, Warrick had been thinking about showing Greg this room. The busy holiday season had gotten in the way, leaving them barely any time alone together, between work and Greg's dates - well, actually, it was only Greg's one other boyfriend, now that he thought about it. He didn't know how long Greg had been dating only one person; that was something he'd have to make sure to ask.

 

And he thought he could ask Greg right there in that room. Even though he was less certain about their relationship than he'd been before, Greg had shared something important with him. It was only fair for him to share something important with Greg.

 

Especially since he might not have many more chances.

 

***

 

He was in the middle of making some corrections to an old composition he'd written for the guitar when his cell rang. It was Greg, of course, and he was surprised to find how relieved he was to hear Greg's voice. "Come on in, it's open," he told Greg. "I'm in the basement."

 

If he were a good host like Nick, he would've gone up to meet Greg at the door, but he was too nervous. Down here, he was on his home turf. He felt more at home here than anywhere else in his house.

 

"Wow," Greg said thoughtfully as he came down the stairs, taking in everything in the room. Warrick smiled up at him, setting the composition paper on the stand on the keyboard and putting his guitar in the free space between where the sofa and the chair kitty-cornered in the corner of the room. "I didn't know you played."

 

"I write, too," Warrick said with a grin, patting the seat beside him in invitation. His expression sobered as Greg carefully took a seat next to him, then leaned in for a tentative kiss. Warrick had a feeling Greg didn't know if it would be accepted. He may have been confused about where he stood with Greg, but he wasn't going to turn down a kiss. After pressing a reassuring kiss to Greg's lips, he pulled back with a gentle smile. It meant a lot to have Greg in this room with him, and he was sure he wasn't going to regret it. "I'm not very public about it."

 

"I can tell," Greg replied, one hand on Warrick's knee as he looked around, taking in all the details of the room before finally turning back to Warrick. When he'd been younger, Warrick might've used a room like this to get laid, but he wasn't younger. He was an adult who needed to get away every once in a while, and this was a private room he didn't share with anyone. Anyone except for Greg now. "So," Greg said hesitantly.

 

"So," Warrick agreed. He wasn't sure where to start. It was probably up to Greg to start, actually, but Greg didn't seem to know where to start, either. He knew that Greg had told his other boyfriend last night, so maybe they could start with that. "How'd he take it?"

 

Greg knew who and what he was talking about without more details. He smiled that rare bashful smile, a pleased blush tinting his cheeks. "He took it really well. He was pretty relieved, actually."

 

"Relieved?" Warrick shifted on the couch, bringing his knee up so he could face Greg, his right arm stretched out along the back of the couch. "He was relieved to know you were dating someone else?"

 

"He already knew I was dating other people," Greg said with a confused look on his face. Warrick frowned.

 

"But I thought you said..."

 

"Oh, no." Understanding having dawned, Greg shook his head, shifting his left leg up onto the couch in a mirror of Warrick's stance. "He's known I was dating other people, he just didn't know it was just one person. Well." Greg paused. "He didn't know it'd changed to just one."

 

Warrick nodded. He was glad, for Greg's sake, that the other boyfriend had reacted well, but at the same time, Warrick knew he was under pressure to react just as well. What if he couldn't? What if he disappointed Greg or said the wrong thing?

 

The best he could do was to follow his instinct, so that was what he did. "How long ago did it change?"

 

"It's only been a few months." The way Greg answered the question so easily, Warrick got the feeling the other boyfriend had asked that, too. A lot of this conversation would probably be redundant for Greg, now that he thought about it. "I kinda didn't realize it was happening for a while. I mean, I didn't make a decision not to date anyone else, I just kinda realized one day that I wasn't interested in anyone else."

 

Warrick could understand that. Even though he'd craved greater intimacy and affection with Greg from the start, he hadn't wanted a commitment either, not at first. He'd wanted more from their encounters, but he'd still dated other people every once in a while. He'd never have a date with someone else a day before or after a date with Greg; it just didn't feel right. But did he go on other dates? Sure. At first. Nothing that lasted, no repeat dates. Kind of like he'd assumed Greg was doing, and kind of like he knew Nick had been doing ever since he came to Vegas. Playing the field, trying to find someone to have a connection with, and when the first date didn't have enough chemistry to warrant more than a one-night stand - actually, a one-day stand, in his case - he'd shrug and wait for the next person to come along.

 

That was what was different about his dates with Greg. They saw each other every day at work, they were pals outside of work, and they slept together when they were horny or when one of them struck out on a date. Over time, Warrick had realized he'd wanted more from Greg and less from other people. He'd stopped looking for a connection with other dates, and started looking for a connection, a relationship, with Greg.

 

But that still didn't explain why Greg had stopped dating everyone except the two of them; not one of them. Warrick didn't want to ask the next question he had, but he knew he had to. Before he asked, he stared down at Greg's hand on his knee, took a deep breath and put his hand over Greg's. Stroking his thumb over the back of Greg's hand, Warrick finally looked up to meet his eyes.

 

"Why are you telling us now," he asked quietly, "when you haven't decided between the two of us yet?" It seemed kind of cruel to tell both of them about the situation, to get both of their hopes up and then decide between them. Warrick knew there was something wrong with his theory, though, because Greg wasn't cruel. He was smart and kind and caring, and he'd never done anything to make Warrick think he was malicious like that.

 

Greg's face fell, but he kept his head up high, looking at Warrick with shining eyes. "Let me explain," he asked in a shaky voice. Warrick couldn't say no to him, not when Greg was looking at him like that, so he nodded and tightened his hand over Greg's. He didn't know what was coming next; all he knew was that Greg didn't think he was going to like it. Greg swallowed a few times, then laced his fingers through Warrick's. "You know how I didn't kiss you for the longest time?"

 

Warrick didn't know what that had to do with anything, but he nodded. They'd slept together for seven months without kissing. Warrick waited, noting with some concern the way Greg swallowed a few more times, his expression closed off and distant.

 

"You weren't the only person I didn't kiss," he finally said. "I didn't kiss anyone. I used to be like you, used to want to kiss as much I wanted to have sex, but I was with too many guys who thought kissing made you a faggot even if fucking didn't." Greg ran a hand through his hair as Warrick's expression hardened. Just like Nick's frat brothers. Assholes. "I know just one person doesn't mean all guys are like that, but it was just one after another and eventually I just... stopped fighting it." Greg took a deep breath. "I stopped letting my emotions get involved."

 

Warrick didn't know what to say. He had a feeling he knew where Greg was going with this, but he didn't interrupt. Instead, he slipped his arm from the back of the couch to around Greg's shoulders, pulling Greg against him so he could press a kiss to the top of Greg's head. He had to reassure Greg now, show him that he wasn't like the other idiots Greg had dated.

 

"And I figured," Greg continued stiltingly, "I figured if it was just sex, if I went out with as many people as possible, and just... I don't know, had fun with it, if I stopped looking for someone who wanted the same thing I did, then I couldn't fall in love again. Couldn't get hurt again, right?" Greg buried his face against Warrick's chest, chuckling bitterly. "Famous last words," he muttered, and looked up. "Everything backfired."

 

Warrick stroked his fingers through Greg's hair, holding him close and giving him a chance to catch his breath. He let a few minutes pass before he asked gently, "What backfired?"

 

Greg took a shaky breath. "My plan," he said with an ironic smile. "It wasn't supposed to mean anything and then... and then I fell in love with both of you at the same time." Greg cracked a watery smile. "So now you see my dilemma."

 

Warrick nodded, bowing his head to kiss Greg's forehead even as he held Greg closer. Greg allowed it, even moved into the embrace, curling up in Warrick's arms the way Warrick imagined he'd wanted to do so many times.

 

So many things made sense now. Greg's determination to keep it casual, the way he resisted kissing and getting close, even though Warrick knew now that Greg wanted that. Greg's experiences had taught him that even if he wanted something, he couldn't have it, and he'd been conditioned to believe that for so long that even the first kiss from Warrick hadn't been convincing enough.

 

He should've tried harder from the beginning. Should've kept kissing Greg, showing him that he was appreciated and wanted, and that affection wasn't anything to avoid. Maybe if he'd done that, Greg never would've met the other man he was in love with now, and they wouldn't be in this mess. He wouldn't have to worry about whether he'd ever have Greg to himself or not.

 

"Please don't make me choose," Greg whispered, and when he looked up, his eyes were shining with unshed tears. Whatever Warrick's doubts were, there was no question that Greg loved both of them, otherwise he wouldn't be putting himself through this. He'd made every attempt not to let his heart get involved, and when it had, he'd fallen in love with both of them. It hadn't been Greg's choice, and he hadn't wanted to hurt anyone, including himself. And it was obvious that this was hurting Greg, because he thought he'd have to choose.

 

"I won't," Warrick promised, wrapping Greg in a warm embrace. And he realized that no matter how much he wanted Greg to himself, asking for that would only take away from Greg's happiness. Warrick couldn't put Greg through that, when it was obvious that they both meant so much to him.

 

Warrick just hoped he could be selfless enough to keep that promise.


	23. Chapter 23  Unwrapping

  
Author's notes: Only one gift is wrapped, but both are precious.  


* * *

"I don't know what I would've done without Catherine."

 

Some time had passed, with Greg in his arms, progressing from distraught to relieved to relaxed. Warrick stroked his fingers idly through Greg's hair, satisfied for the moment with having Greg in his arms. He'd learned a lot about Greg in the past hour, and right now, Greg was all he cared about. "Yeah?"

 

"Yeah. She's been real understanding." Greg twisted his head up to look at Warrick. "I didn't tell her any names, but I told her what was going on. She made me feel like it was okay. Like I wasn't a freak or something."

 

Warrick frowned. "You're not a freak, babe."

 

Greg sighed. "I know. But I didn't figure it out for a while. I kept... thinking I should choose before I said anything to either of you. But Catherine introduced me to some people, and they gave me a new way to look at it." Greg smiled. "If I met you and him at different times in my life, I would've felt the same way about both of you. So what's wrong with loving you both at the same time?"

 

Warrick sighed thoughtfully. It was a valid argument, but it still meant he had to share Greg. "What if it was the other way around?" he had to ask. "What if I was in love with two people and you were just one of them?"

 

Greg gave him a sad smile. "You have no idea how happy that would make me," he said. "If you could fall in love with him the way I fell in love with you..."

 

Warrick shifted uncomfortably. He didn't think he could fall in love with two people at once. He especially didn't see how he could have any feelings other than jealousy for the other man in Greg's life. "What if it wasn't him?"

 

Greg seemed to finally realize what he was asking. "I don't know," he said quietly. "If he made you happy..." Greg shrugged, and looked into Warrick's eyes. "You have to understand, it's hard for me to see this from your point of view. I mean, I know it's the same for you seeing it from my point of view, but... I'm only happy knowing I have both of you in my life."

 

"So I'm not enough," Warrick said flatly. Logically, he knew Greg didn't mean it that way, but it was pretty damn hard not to interpret it that way.

 

"No! I mean, you are, but..." Greg blew out a breath in frustration. "I don't know how to explain it, okay? It's not wrong," he insisted.

 

"I didn't say it was." Warrick exhaled. "It's not about right or wrong. I just don't want to share you. I just want to be enough for you."

 

Greg's eyes shone again. "You don't get it," he protested. "You can't get it unless you've been where I am."

 

The words sounded so familiar, but Warrick couldn't place where he'd heard them. Nevertheless, the sense of deja vouz was so strong that it brought him back to the present. "I don't want to fight with you about this," he said gently. "I already said I wouldn't make you choose." Because it was more important to have Greg partly in his life than not in his life at all. Because Greg's happiness was more important than his own, even though his happiness wasn't more important to Greg.

 

"But you want me to," Greg said softly. He sighed, resting his head against Warrick's chest so Warrick couldn't see his eyes. "I just wish you could understand."

 

The thing was, Warrick could understand. He'd been in love twice in his life, once with Greg, and once with Rachael. Who was to say that if he'd fallen for them at the same time, he wouldn't have wanted to keep both of them? That was, until he found out that Rachael was cheating on him. Warrick resumed stroking Greg's hair, his frustration fading for the moment. "Does he treat you right?"

 

Greg blinked up at him in surprise. "Yeah," he said softly. "I wouldn't be in love with him otherwise."

 

He was still a little skeptical. "What about those other guys?" he asked logically. "They didn't treat you right, and you made it sound like you were in love with some of them."

 

"Yeah," Greg said, snorting softly. "Two of them. But that was before they made me feel like a faggot. I mean, yeah, I couldn't just turn off my feelings right away, but eventually I stopped falling for the wrong guys. And they were all the wrong guys." Greg's smile returned. "Until you."

 

It took a moment for it to sink in that the 'you' was plural. Warrick took a deep breath, trying to figure out if it was relief or hurt he felt. Hurt because he couldn't be enough for Greg on his own, relief because after everything Greg had been through, he deserved the love of two people. If anyone deserved it, it was Greg. "I'm glad we could be here for you," he said softly, acknowledging that there were two of them in Greg's life. The relief that lit up Greg's face was so sincere, Warrick couldn't help but reach up to take Greg's face in his hand.

 

"I'm glad you could be too," Greg said with a bright smile, turning into Warrick's touch. He looked so content, Warrick thought he might purr.

 

Maybe Warrick didn't understand, and maybe he didn't like not being enough for Greg, but Nick was right. He did love Greg more than himself, enough that he could put aside his own feelings of insecurity for Greg's sake. He hoped that one day, he'd understand, or, better, have Greg to himself, but until then, he'd put aside his own feelings for Greg's sake.

 

***

 

Warrick knew it was time for bed when he woke up on the couch with Greg snoring lightly in his arms. Sure, the couch was semi-comfortable, but the bed was even more comfortable. "Hey," he said softly, "time to get up."

 

"Hm?" Greg shifted in his arms, nuzzling Warrick's neck with his forehead. "Do we have to?"

 

"I have no feeling in my right arm," Warrick informed him. Greg chuckled sympathetically and pushed himself into a standing position, then reached down to pull Warrick up.

 

"Thanks for letting me stay," Greg said seriously, and Warrick smiled.

 

"Hey, I don't want you to go anywhere. That's the whole point."

 

Greg nodded, turning into Warrick's arms and slipping his own arms around Warrick's waist. "Whenever I'm with him, I want to be with you," he said. Warrick knew what was coming next, so he beat Greg to it.

 

"And whenever you're with me, you want to be with him."

 

"Yeah," Greg said quietly, looking ashamed. Warrick dropped his forehead to rest against Greg's, wondering how they were ever going to make it through this. "You have to know I didn't choose this," Greg said sincerely. "I know it would be easier if there were only one of you, but you're both so amazing." Greg dropped his eyes. "I keep thinking that if you met him, you'd feel the same way I do."

 

Warrick smiled gently, tilting Greg's face up to look at him. "You're probably a little biased," he suggested, and Greg shrugged bashfully.

 

"Yeah," he admitted, "biased about you too." The way he dropped the subject then made Warrick think Greg had been hoping he'd ask to meet the guy, to see if maybe Greg was right. But Warrick wasn't nearly ready to make an offer like that, and Greg accepted his silence on the subject by moving on. "Ready for bed?"

 

If he didn't think about the other guy Greg shared his bed with, Warrick could actually smile at the question. "Yeah," he agreed. "Let's go."

 

***

 

Greg walked slowly into the bedroom, circling the dresser. Not knowing what it was, to Greg, it had to just look like a box with wrapping paper and a bow draped over it. It wasn't wrapped, though. The paper was just a covering. Warrick couldn't believe he'd almost forgotten about it.

 

"Is this what I think it is?" Greg glanced at Warrick over his shoulder, then turned back to study the paper-covered object on top of the dresser.

 

Warrick grinned. "Why don't you find out?" he suggested. Greg touched his hand to his own chest, indicating himself.

 

"It's for me?" he asked, and Warrick nodded in confirmation. Rubbing his hands briskly together, Greg stepped up to the dresser, and pulled the wrapping paper away. Doing so revealed a relatively small aquarium; small compared to what Greg had in his house, but big compared to what Warrick would've gotten if it were just for himself. He didn't plan on raising any fish, though, so that was unlikely to happen. "Oh, wow."

 

Greg looked entranced, and Warrick couldn't stop grinning. He'd chosen the right gift after all. "It's a scribbled angelfish," Warrick said, even though he had a feeling Greg already knew. "Don't the markings look like-"

 

"Fingerprints," Greg interrupted, stepping closer to press his fingers against the plexiglass. "Is it true she'll eat out of your hand?"

 

"Yeah, the guy showed me how." Warrick picked up the bag of brine shrimp, taking one of the morsels between his fingers and holding it up over the surface of the water. The angelfish wiggled up to the surface, taking the morsel from between his fingers before darting back into the water. "Wanna try?"

 

Greg nodded enthusiastically, taking a morsel between his own fingers. He didn't let the angelfish take it right away, though, and Warrick watched curiously. He understood, though, when the angelfish remained at the surface, and tolerated the brush of Greg's finger over its scales. Greg laughed in delight, letting it have the morsel of food. "She likes me," he said, awed.

 

"She has good taste," Warrick smiled. Greg called all his fish 'she', even when they weren't. "I didn't know you could pet them."

 

Greg nodded again, a big grin on his face. "Yeah, they're not afraid of people." Suddenly he turned, wrapping Warrick in a tight hug. "Thank you," he said, the smile coming out in his voice. "She's perfect."

 

Just like you, Warrick thought. "I thought you could put her with your emporers," he suggested. "They like the same temperature and salinity, and the guy said they're pretty peaceful."

 

Greg nodded his agreement. "The emporors can get territorial, but this little girl won't bother them," he said, turning his head to watch the fish swim around. "Wanna help me move her in tomorrow? I have the night off," he said.

 

"I'd love to," he agreed, wrapping his arms snugly around Greg. Tomorrow would be his third night off, Greg's first for that week. Before he could say anything else, though, Greg jumped back.

 

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I got something for you, too. It's in the car. I'll be right back." Greg stole a kiss, then rushed off, returning before Warrick had a chance to move from the spot. Well, there had been time for him to move, it was just that Greg had moved so suddenly. "Here," he said, thrusting a large wrapped box at Warrick. "This is for you."

 

Warrick grinned, stepping back to sit at the foot of the bed, holding the box in his lap as he unwrapped it. It was a three-foot-tall water fountain.

 

"I figured you liked the way the aquarium filters sound at my house. You always sleep better when you're there." Greg shrugged and smiled, taking the box from Warrick and opening it. "These things make the same kinda sound, without having to buy all those fish and take care of them," Greg explained. "Want me to set it up?"

 

"Yeah," he said with a smile. Now that Greg had explained it, it made perfect sense. It was a thoughtful gift, which was fitting from Greg. Once Greg had set it up, Warrick came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Greg, brushing a kiss over his temple. "Thank you. I love it."

 

Greg smiled, relaxing back into Warrick's arms. "I'm glad." Twisting his head to look at Warrick, Greg leaned back, pressing a kiss to Warrick's lips. "I love you, you know," he said softly, and Warrick realized it was the first time he'd said it. Greg had said he thought of Warrick as a lover, he'd said indirectly that he was in love with Warrick, but it was the first time he'd said those words right to him.

 

Warrick loosened his arms so Greg could turn around and face him, and dropped a kiss onto Greg's lips. "I know," he agreed, the knowledge warming him even though he knew he shared Greg's love with someone else. It didn't change the way he felt about Greg. "I love you, too."


	24. Chapter 24  Surrender

  
Author's notes: The honeymoon's over.  


* * *

Greg was right; he did sleep better with the sound of the water fountain. He was convinced that having Greg in his arms was the key ingredient to a good day's sleep, though. Nothing could be better than waking up with the man he loved in his arms.

 

Greg woke up with a smile, gazing up at Warrick through sleepily hooded eyes. "Evening," he murmured, tilting his head up to take Warrick's mouth in a probing kiss.

 

"Mmm." That was about as elaborate as Warrick could manage to answer, more interested in tasting Greg as deeply as possible. Greg's lips were pliable under his, his mouth tasting of pure Greg. Sweet and soft and warm, Greg rolled onto his back as Warrick moved to lie on top of him, bracing one hand flat against the mattress beside Greg's chest. Warrick ground his hips against Greg's as he sank into the kiss, taking Greg with him.

 

Greg hooked his fingers in the waistband of Warrick's boxers, starting to pull away a few times before he rested his forehead against Warrick's, panting. "You have tonight off, right?" he asked, and Warrick nodded, moving in to kiss Greg again. "And tomorrow night?"

 

"Mmhm," he murmured, pulling Greg against him and splaying his hand across Greg's lower back. Greg's breath hitched and he thrust against Warrick, turning the tables by pushing Warrick onto his back.

 

"So," Greg panted, "if I fuck you... so hard... you're so sore you can't walk for the next coupla days," he continued with a grin, "that wouldn't be a problem."

 

Warrick grunted his agreement, cupping Greg's ass in his hands and pulling him tighter against him. "Not a problem," he breathed, sealing his lips to Greg's again as soon as possible.

 

Greg's grin melted away in the heat of their kiss, replaced by fierce open-mouthed determination as their lips and tongues battled for dominance. It had been nearly a month since they'd shared a kiss this passionate, since they'd even considered the possibility of doing more than kissing. They'd had their share of orgasms, of course, kissing leading to coming as they'd rubbed up against each other. For the first time since that first kiss, though, Warrick would finally feel Greg's skin against his, Greg's cock inside him.

 

Before he knew it, Greg had stripped them both of their boxers, coating his fingers in lube before he captured Warrick's mouth again, kissing him hungrily as his fingertips pressed against Warrick's hole. Warrick moaned, arching up toward Greg's fingers as he finally felt Greg's bare skin against his.

 

The realization of what was happening hit him suddenly. Greg wasn't using gloves. They hadn't discussed it, hadn't decided not to use protection anymore, and frankly, Warrick wasn't sure how good it felt was worth picturing Greg's unprotected body merging with someone else's.

 

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he gasped, his cock so hard it was aching as Greg reluctantly pulled his fingers away. Warrick regretted his question when Greg pulled away completely, wiping his fingers off on his thigh and covering his lap with the blanket. Warrick dropped his head back, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath. Shit. When was he gonna learn to keep his mouth shut?

 

He heard Greg let out a heavy breath, and opened his eyes to the sight of Greg's eyes cast down onto the bed. "Gloves are a little extreme, don't you think?" he asked quietly, twisting his hands in the blanket in his lap. Warrick narrowed his eyes. Greg was the one who'd been sleeping with anyone who was interested. No Warrick.

 

"You didn't seem to think so when you suggested it," Warrick accused, kicking himself even as he said it. Everything had been going so well, and he'd almost managed to forget about the other man. He didn't want to get in a fight with Greg, especially not when they were about to make love for the first time. But it looked like he'd ruined that already.

 

Greg looked up at him with wounded eyes, his hands no longer moving in his lap. "The gloves were just another way not to get too close," he said quietly. "We never needed that much protection."

 

Warrick snorted. That was news to him. "We never needed the condoms either, did we?" Warrick knew it wasn't a fair question, that no answer Greg gave could be the right one, but at the moment, he didn't care. He'd just been one of the guys Greg had slept with, just another notch on his bedpost in Greg's attempt not to care about anyone. Greg hadn't respected their friendship enough to leave him out of it, and part of Warrick wished he had.

 

"You know we did," Greg said defensively. "I was scared, not stupid."

 

"So we're not going to use them anymore?" he asked, eyebrows raised. If Greg didn't think they needed the gloves, Greg couldn't think they needed the condoms, either.

 

Greg's averted eyes were more telling than any words could be. "We are," he admitted. "My... until he knew there were only three of us, he was dating other people. We decided to wait three months-"

 

"There is no we," Warrick argued. "There's no 'three of us'. There's you and me, and there's you and him. That's it." Pushing himself up, Warrick turned to face Greg, sitting cross-legged in front of him, his finger doing the pointing. "When I'm with you, I want to be with you. Not with him, not with you and him, just you. That's all I want, Greg," he concluded in a firm voice. "All I want is you."

 

Greg's face crumpled as he reached out hesitantly, then pulled his hand back, wrapping his arms around his waist. "You have me," he whispered. "Why isn't that enough?"

 

The words set off Warrick's temper, but he held it back, fisting his hands in the blanket so he couldn't do something worse with them. God dammit, but sometimes he hated how easily he was goaded. "You're one to talk about 'enough'," he accused. "Why aren't I enough? Why can't you be happy with me?"

 

"I am happy with you," Greg protested. "You don't understand. I can't... It's not something I can explain, okay? I wish I could, I really do, but I can't." Greg dragged his hand through his hair, avoiding looking at Warrick again. "I can't."

 

Warrick closed his eyes, scrubbing a hand over his face. He hated seeing Greg like this and even more than that, he hated being the one responsible. But didn't he deserve to speak his part? Didn't he deserve to have a say in what he wanted? "Greg," he said, defeated, his voice muffled by his hand. "I don't want to fight." He opened his eyes to find Greg watching him, the fight gone out of his eyes.

 

"Yeah, but you don't want this, either." Greg let out a shaky sigh, cupping his sides with his hands as he rubbed his thumbs over his ribs. "I can't give you what you want," he said softly, his voice cracking at the end.

 

"And I can't give you what you want," Warrick reminded him. Greg wanted Warrick to like his other boyfriend; Warrick wanted Greg to want him and him alone. "Greg, I just don't know how this is going to work."

 

Greg jumped at the words as if they were a physical attack. "Don't say that," he pleaded, crawling across the bed to wrap himself around Warrick, hiding his face against Warrick's chest. Warrick didn't want to say it; didn't want it to be true. But how was he ever going to be able to be with Greg without being reminded that there was someone else? That when Greg finally had feelings for him, he had feelings for someone else, too?

 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not sure whether he was apologizing for saying it, or apologizing because it was true. He wanted it to work, he wanted nothing more; second only to wanting Greg to himself, he wanted to make it work. He didn't want Greg to disappear from his life. "I'm gonna need time to get used to this."

 

Greg hugged him tighter, and the part of Warrick that was reluctant to give in again was overpowered by the part that wanted to make Greg happy. "Take all the time you need," Greg murmured, looking up to meet Warrick's eyes with his own. The hope Warrick saw there made him wonder how he could even think of walking away from Greg. "I'll be here."


	25. Chapter 25  Banter

  
Author's notes: Warrick and Greg talk; some things serious, some things fun.  


* * *

Warrick declined the offer to shower together, needing some time to himself to get his thoughts together. Sure, Greg had work and Warrick had the night off, giving him ten hours to himself, but Warrick wasn't ready to share a shower with Greg. Lust clouded his thinking when they were together, and he needed to start thinking clearly if he was ever going to figure this relationship out.

 

Greg came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, much like after the first time they'd slept together. Greg had become more confident around him, but he still turned around to get dressed, still slipped his boxers on under the towel before letting it drop to the floor. Then he took his jeans and dress shirt from where he'd left them on the chair in the corner, buttoning up with nimble fingers and brisk movements.

 

"Sure you wanna go to work wearing the same thing you had on last night?" He'd kind of expected Greg to come back that morning wearing the same thing he'd had on at the party, but fortunately, Greg had changed.

 

Greg just shrugged, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets as he turned around. "It's not like anyone pays attention to what I wear," he muttered. "They just care about the results I give them." Greg made a face. "'Greg, analyze this. Greg, get me the DNA on that. Greg, me first, no, me.' Pfft." Greg rolled his eyes. "I could go into work naked and no one would notice."

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure someone would notice. I know I would," he pointed out, not bothering to ask about Greg's sudden change in mood. He didn't know whether Greg was really being pissy about work or if it was just easier to complain about that than the tension between them, and Warrick wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

 

"Ecklie would. He'd have me arrested for indecent exposure, and then he'd sic OSHA on Grissom and get him fired for failing to enforce sanitary work conditions." Greg snickered. "It would be fun to walk around in my labcoat and flash people, though."

 

Warrick laughed. "You streaked in college, didn't you?"

 

Greg grinned and winked. "I'll never tell." Smiling, he walked over to perch on the edge of the bed, leaning forward to brush a kiss over Warrick's lips. It was a tentative kiss, as if Greg wasn't sure if it would be accepted. His expression sobered, though he still had a soft smile on his face. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Catherine and I are gonna have breakfast, and I don't know how late we'll be. I think I'm just gonna pass out after that."

 

Warrick nodded his understanding, reaching out to take Greg's hand. "You don't have to tell me everything you do when we're not together, you know." He didn't know if Greg knew that or not, but it was important to him that Greg knew Warrick wasn't a possessive boyfriend. He may not have liked that Greg had another boyfriend, but that didn't mean Warrick didn't trust him, and it didn't mean he didn't understand that Greg had a life other than him.

 

Greg nodded thoughtfully, staring at their interlacing fingers for a few moments before he met Warrick's eyes again. "I need to ask you something." Warrick nodded, waiting. "Would you prefer it if I didn't mention him at all? If you don't mind me talking about him, I'd like to, but if it's a problem, I can try not to bring it up."

 

Warrick could tell it took a lot for Greg to say that. He knew he'd rather not talk about Greg's other boyfriend at all, but that wouldn't change the fact that he existed. "I don't know," he admitted quietly. "Probably not the best thing to bring up during sex," he said wryly.

 

Greg lowered his eyes, but he was smirking. When he looked up again, mischief twinkled in his eyes. "So I take it you don't have a lot of voyeuristic fantasies."

 

Warrick coughed. "Uh, no." He wasn't sure how he felt having this conversation with Greg, talking about sex and Greg's other boyfriend at the same time. The thought of Greg having sex with anyone else had never made him anything but uncomfortable. "I take it you do?" Did he just ask that?

 

"How could I not?" Greg grinned, bending forward at the waist so they were sitting closer. "You're hot. I'd love to watch you." Warrick felt his face heat up, twofold when Greg laughed. "Well, whaddaya know. Mr. Vegas can blush."

 

"Mr. Vegas?"

 

Now it was Greg's turn to blush. "Well, you're the only one of us originally from Vegas," he explained. "So sometimes I think of you as Mr. Vegas."

 

Warrick narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Potential blackmail material. "Any other nicknames I should know about?"

 

"Not at all," Greg said smoothly, but the look in his eyes suggested otherwise. Warrick bared his teeth in a grin, but Greg didn't give up any more information. Sobering, he trailed his fingers over the back of Warrick's hand. "So, no talking about the other boyfriend during sex. Um, there's something I should tell you, and I'd rather get it out of the way now."

 

That was a segue that didn't make him feel particularly comfortable. "Okay."

 

"You know how tomorrow we're gonna move my new fish to my place?" he asked, and Warrick nodded. He wasn't sure what that had to do with Greg's other boyfriend or sex, but he was sure he'd find out. "Well, he kinda got me a fish too."

 

"Oh." That was... not what he was expecting to hear. So, the other boyfriend got Greg a fish too. What were the chances? Although, if the other boyfriend knew Greg as well as Warrick did, it made a lot of sense. "It wasn't the same kind, was it?"

 

"Oh, no," Greg said with a smile, and Warrick ignored the brief flare of jealousy. Greg had liked his gift, too. It didn't make Warrick's gift mean any less. "It's a betta. You know, like the ones I have on the dresser?" Warrick nodded. Most of Greg's fish were in the front room, but he had two bettas in his bedroom, a red one and a blue one, each in a separate bowl. "Except the ones I have are the most common kind. The one he got me is orange and black. Rare and pretty recent." Greg smiled, reaching out to stroke the side of Warrick's face. "I don't ever want you to think you two are competing for me, okay? I'm not going to change my mind about how I feel, and if my feelings do change, it's not going to be about a fish and it's not going to be about anything that happens at work or in bed. Okay?"

 

Warrick sighed quietly, turning his face into Greg's touch. He had been feeling competitive since he'd learned about the other boyfriend, wondering casually if there were any way he could win Greg's affections for himself. As soon as Greg had told him about the fish from the other boyfriend, he'd immediately wondered if Greg had thought it was better than the one Warrick got for him. And Greg saw right through him. "Okay," he conceded, turning to press a kiss into Greg's palm. "I'll try."

 

"That's all I ask," Greg whispered, and leaned in for a feather-soft kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And we'll bring the angel to her new home."

 

"Can't wait." Smiling, Warrick brushed another kiss over Greg's lips, slipping out from under the blankets so he could walk Greg to the door. Pulled on a pair of boxers just to be decent, wondering at how Greg had managed to take him from angry and distant and jealous to understanding and hopeful. It was just part of Greg's appeal, he decided, Greg's natural charm and his skill with people. It was more than just a skill, though. Greg cared enough about him to make sure he didn't feel unwanted. "Say hi to Cath for me."

 

"I will," Greg said with a slight chuckle. Warrick looked at him for a moment, pausing at the thought. Could he be lighthearted enough to joke about their relationship? About his own insecurity? "What?"

 

"Catherine's not the other guy, is she?"

 

Greg laughed out loud, pressing his hands to Warrick's chest as he leaned into him by the door. "Besides the fact that she's missing a key piece of anatomy to be my type," he said, "she also happens to be a major mother figure in my life. So if you ever want to ruin the mood," Greg grinned, "say something like that again."

 

"I won't," Warrick promised with a grin, and leaned in to give Greg one more goodnight kiss. The action had become so ingrained in the last few weeks that it was hard to believe he'd ever resisted the urge to kiss Greg. "Have a good night at work."

 

"I will." Greg returned the kiss, curling his fingers against Warrick's chest before he opened the door. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Vegas."

 

"See you tomorrow, Hairboy," he said affectionately, grinning at the face Greg made at him before he closed the door. When he was alone, he headed downstairs, and picked up his guitar.


	26. Chapter 26  Proposition

"Sara thinks you and Greg are sleeping together."

 

Warrick snorted into his coffee. It was easy to act indignant when Sara's theories were the topic of conversation, even if she was right. "What would make her think that?"

 

Nick's eyes flickered around the small diner before he leaned conspiratorally closer. "Greg came into work wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday," he said in a hushed tone. Warrick was careful to compose his expression, showing just the right amount of surprise so that Nick wouldn't suspect that Warrick already knew. "She put that together with the night you spent at my place, and now she thinks you and Greg are together."

 

Warrick shook his head, stirring some more milk into his coffee. Ever since Greg had started sharing his exotic brand of coffee with him, everything else was too bitter and too weak. "But I spent the night at your place," he emphasized, repeating what Nick had just said.

 

Nick shrugged, and took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, but she doesn't know that. She just wants to convince herself you're not competition for Grissom."

 

Warrick rolled her eyes. "She can have him." Grissom might not have been the ugliest man Warrick had ever met, but he was still their boss and, more importantly, he had about as many social skills as the bugs he loved so much. It was interesting that that was Nick's conclusion, though, and Warrick looked at his friend with a tempered smirk. "Unless, of course, you don't wanna share."

 

Nick didn't roll his eyes like Warrick expected. Instead, he reached into his pocket and held up his cell phone. "I have Greg on speed dial if you want him to know..."

 

It was an idle threat, but an amusing one all the same. "Why do you have Greg on speed dial?"

 

Nick merely raised an eyebrow. "I have everyone from graveyard on speed dial," he pointed out. "You, Greg, Grissom, Catherine, Sara... Don't tell me you don't."

 

Warrick sighed. Nick had a point there. "I do."

 

"Anyway," Nick continued, smiling as the waiter brought them their order, and waiting for him to leave before speaking again, "Sara's right. Greg's sleeping with someone, and you're the most likely suspect."

 

"Or," Warrick countered, "Greg's just lazy and doesn't wash his clothes. There's also the possibility that he has hundreds of those disco shirts in his closet and they all look the same."

 

Nick paused with the syrup bottle poised over the giant stack of pancakes on his plate, fixing Warrick with a damning look. "How'd you know Greg was wearing one of his disco shirts?"

 

Shit, shit, shit. Warrick immediately masked his expression with a poker face, trying to think fast. "He wears them all the time," he said lamely. He just hoped Nick wasn't paying enough attention to the conversation not to buy it. But Nick had already caught him in a slipup. Nick probably already thought they were sleeping together, too.

 

"Lucky guess," Nick consented, but he didn't stop looking at Warrick with that suspicious expression. Warrick looked away, salting and peppering his eggs as an excuse not to look at Nick for a few moments. "Either way, it's unlikely that he'd wear the same shirt two nights in a row, so he probably spent the day with someone." Warrick was silent, making a point of thoroughly chewing the egg in his mouth. "And it wasn't with me," Nick continued. "I think I would've noticed if Greg'd spent the day with me."

 

Warrick stopped chewing and swallowed, looking curiously at Nick. Was Nick saying what Warrick thought he was saying? "You'd notice, huh?"

 

Nick shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "The point is, I wouldn't kick him out of my bed, and I don't think you would either." Warrick raised his eyebrows. It was nothing new to learn that Nick thought Warrick was attracted to Greg, but Nick admitting an attraction himself? That was surprising. Warrick narrowed his eyes.

 

"Either you're saying this to get me to leave you alone about Grissom," to which Nick snorted, "or you've just been pretending you think I like Greg because you're the one who likes him." Warrick smirked, enjoying the irony of pretending he wasn't sleeping with Greg so he could finally get one up on Nick. Nick wouldn't have any of it, though.

 

"Am I wrong?" he said. "You wouldn't say no to Greg, would you?"

 

Nick's questions were hitting way too close to home, and Warrick was starting to wonder how long he could avoid the truth without outright lying to his friend. "I told you about the situation I'm in," he reminded Nick. There was the irony again, but hardly enjoyable this time. He had to act like his situation had nothing to do with Greg just so that Nick would think he wasn't interested in Greg. The web just kept getting more and more tangled.

 

"Yeah," Nick said thoughtfully, cutting into the pancakes now that they were drenched in syrup and butter. "How's that going, by the way?"

 

Warrick smiled. "Complicated," he admitted, "but I think we're on the right track." They ate in silence for a few moments before Warrick decided to say more. "I thought about what you said, but I wasn't ready to just walk away. So I kissed him to see how he'd react." Warrick grinned. "We've barely done anything but kiss since." He knew it made him sound like a teenager excited about making out, but he didn't care. He'd had enough sex in the second half of his life that it had become a little overrated when it wasn't with the right person. Sharing the intimacy of kissing with Greg was an entirely new experience for him, one he hadn't tired of yet. Nick returned his grin.

 

"Good, good," he said enthusiastically, although his enthusiasm was partially due to the breakfast he was devouring. "And what about all the people he was dating?"

 

Warrick smiled a little sadly. "He's still dating one other person, but he says he's in love with him." Warrick sat up a little defensively at Nick's raised eyebrow. "He's in love with me too. I trust him."

 

Warrick waited for the sarcastic comment, but it didn't come. Instead, Nick looked at him long and hard, then nodded to himself. "Well, that's what's important," he said, and was silent for the remainder of their meal. When the bill came, they split it as usual, and stayed to finish their coffee. "So," Nick said, "are you going to date anyone else?"

 

"What?"

 

"I mean, he's still dating someone else. I know it's against your 'principles', but maybe you should get out there and see if there's not someone else out there for you."

 

Warrick shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

 

"Look," Nick pressed, surprising him by putting his hand over Warrick's. "I've been thinking. What if we'd had hooked up before you got involved with him?"

 

Warrick stared. First Nick admitted he was attracted to Greg, and then he suggested that the two of them could get together? "We? You and me?"

 

"Yeah," Nick said evenly. "I like you, Rick. I always have."

 

Was that what this had been about all along? Had Nick been trying to figure out if he was available? Even though he was well aware that Warrick was in a relationship? Maybe not an exclusive one, but a relationship nonetheless. "I'm in love with him, Nick," he said firmly. Nick sighed.

 

"He's in love with you. And someone else. If he can do it, why can't you?"

 

Warrick blinked, and quickly slipped his hand out from under Nick's. Just because Greg could think he was in love with two people at once didn't mean he could. "Dammit, Nick, we haven't even slept together and you want me to fall in love with you?" Nick's sudden backtracking made Warrick realize that Nick regretted his suggestion, but Warrick couldn't continue the conversation. It didn't make any sense for Nick to suggest that unless he was already in love with Warrick, and that was too much to handle. "I'm sorry. I have to go." He put down enough dollar bills for a tip, ignoring Nick's efforts to apologize, to explain that it wasn't what he'd meant. "I'll see you at work. I gotta go now."

 

What the hell was going on?


	27. Chapter 27  Interlude

  
Author's notes: (a) Making love in the afternoon.  
  
(b) You wash my back, I'll wash yours.  


* * *

(a)

 

"Earth to Warrick." There was a pause. "Earth to Warrick?" Warrick groaned and rolled onto his side, away from the voice. It kept returning, though, distorted and disembodied. "Houston, we have a problem. Vegas is unresponsive." The voice shook his shoulder, then spooned around behind him, reaching around to slip a hand down his boxers. That woke him up.

 

"Greg?" he mumbled groggily, squinting at the clock on the bedside table but without his contacts in, he couldn't tell what time it was. The blackout curtains eliminated any possibility of guessing by how light it was outside, but his body insisted it was hours after he'd gone to sleep and hours before he should be waking up.

 

"You know, you really shouldn't keep your front door unlocked." Greg sounded far too awake for this time of day, but Warrick was just sleepy enough not to push Greg's hand away from his cock. Just the right amount of exhaustion. "A pervert could break in."

 

He was, however, awake enough to recognize the flaw in Greg's concern. "Why would he have to break in if the door was unlocked?" he argued logically, moaning quietly as Greg chuckled against the back of his neck, starting to stroke his cock.

 

"Good point." Greg kissed his neck gently, then scooted back a little so Warrick could roll onto his back and let Greg kiss him on the mouth. "You're too smart for me."

 

"Mmm." Warrick arched up into Greg's hand, reaching up to cup the back of Greg's neck, pulling him into a deeper kiss. "I think that's a matter of opinion," he murmured against Greg's lips, getting lost in the kiss again.

 

"Matter of fact," Greg murmured, then effectively cut off any response by sealing his lips to Warrick's. Warrick may not have had any idea what time of day it was, but that didn't seem to matter anymore. No time was a bad time to be wrapped up in Greg.

 

Those long legs wrapped around his right thigh, ankles locking at his lower leg. Greg had undressed before he'd sneaked into Warrick's bed, and he was hard, thrusting lethargically against Warrick's hip as his hand worked Warrick's cock until it was painfully hard. He'd been at this point with Greg so many times in the last few weeks, and this time, Warrick was determined not to let anything distract him from Greg's goal.

 

Greg's fingers were tangled in his hair, taking total control of the kiss with lips, hands, his whole body. Warrick let himself be guided, let go of all his thoughts and reacted only with his body. Greg's tongue fucked his mouth as he fucked Greg's fist, Greg's tongue slow and seductive, Warrick's thrusts increasing in frequency. He could tell how affected Greg was, losing coordination in the kiss, riding Warrick's hip faster and faster until it was like his life depended on it. Greg stilled suddenly against him, warm and solid and delicious, and that was when Warrick came, twisting his fingers in Greg's hair as Greg's legs tightened around his and they came down together, panting and slick with sweat and come.

 

Warrick curled his arm around Greg's lower back, rolling onto his side so they could wake up face to face when night time came. They fell asleep like that, curled around each other and even more exhausted than before.

 

(b)

 

"Nudity is a good thing."

 

Warrick glanced over his shoulder at Greg, who was washing his back; literally, for once. "It would've been nice if you'd warned me you were coming so I could've been naked too, you know."

 

Greg chuckled against the back of his neck. "The surprise is half the fun," he murmured seductively, and Warrick decided he would have to agree. The sponteneity of their sex life was one of the things he'd come to like about being with Greg. Of course, there were many, many things he liked about being with Greg; that was just one of them.

 

He folded his arms on the shower wall in front of him, resting his forehead in the crook of his elbows. "Why were you here so early, anyway? Not that I'm complaining," he clarified. "But I wasn't expecting you until... now." It was a little after nine, the time he usually woke up whether or not Greg was there. He'd hoped Greg would be there sooner, which was why he'd left the door unlocked, but he hadn't actually expected it to happen.

 

"I tried to sleep for a few hours, but it didn't work," Greg murmured against the back of his neck, pausing between words to lick drops of water from his skin. Warrick sighed contentedly. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."

 

Warrick was touched. Between himself, Greg's other boyfriend, and Greg's confidences with Catherine, he couldn't imagine that Greg had much time to himself. But instead of taking time to be alone, or even spending the day with his other boyfriend and coming to see Warrick at the expected time, Greg had wanted to be with him.

 

Because of Greg's earlier request not to think it was a competition, Warrick suppressed any triumphant feelings of victory, which only enhanced the feeling that it really meant something that Greg was here with him now. Ever since he'd known about the other boyfriend, time with Greg had become more precious, and Warrick felt more appreciated by Greg. Not only that, but he appreciated Greg more, too. It was all happening so fast, but it felt so right. And that was something he'd never expected to feel about this arrangment.

 

"I'm glad you're here." He pushed away from the tiled wall, turning to face Greg so he could hold him close. Greg's soapy hands slipped around his waist, and they kissed, slow and steady as the water poured over them. Having already come twice, he was too mellow to get turned on again, but he enjoyed the kiss all the same.

 

"Me too." Greg pulled back and gently nudged him aside, and they switched places so Warrick could wash his back. Greg's back was one of the few parts of his body he wasn't self-conscious about; it didn't make him feel skinny like his legs or knobby like his knees. Warrick thought it was just as beautiful as the rest of his body. "How was your night off?"

 

Warrick chuckled to himself. "The night was fine." A little boring, but fine. "The morning was bizarre."

 

"Bizarre, huh?" Greg rested his face against his arms, trying to look back at Warrick. "Anything I'd find interesting?"

 

That was debatable. Greg would probably be interested to find out that Nick was attracted to him. Probably even more interested - but more likely jealous - to find out that Nick was attracted to Warrick, too. Warrick mentally shook his head. What had happened to good old-fashioned monogamy? "I guess," he said thoughtfully, "but I don't want to break any confidences."

 

"Hm." Greg shifted, probably trying to find a more comfortable position, then settled into one place again. "Well, you could not use any names?"

 

Warrick knew that. He also knew that the chances of he and Greg having a mutual friend who was attracted to them both severely narrowed the field of who he might be talking about, and Greg was smart enough to figure out it was Nick if Warrick included all the details. So he decided to approach like he'd approached his situation with Nick; pretend the object of conversation was someone only Warrick knew, so Greg would be less likely to figure out who it was. "Okay," he agreed. "So, I went out for breakfast with a friend at Antony's." That widened the field even further, because anyone who didn't know Nick was bi wouldn't think he'd be caught dead at Antony's. The diner was extremely gay-friendly, to the point that those who weren't gay, or secure in their own non-gayness, would find themselves uncomfortable there.

 

"Antony's, huh?" Greg smiled. "Cath and I almost went there, but it's always so busy in the morning. And since we had a lot of personal stuff to talk about..." Greg's voice trailed off.

 

Warrick understood. Antony's was open twenty-four hours a day and served breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout those hours. Due to the amount of graveyard shifts in Vegas, dinner-for-breakfast was one of the most popular attractions of all-day restaurants like Antony's.

 

Warrick also understood that if Greg and Catherine hadn't chosen somewhere else to eat, they might've seen Nick and Warrick there. Warrick wouldn't have minded; in fact, it might have discouraged Nick from his proposition. But that still didn't mean he wanted Nick to be outed just because they'd been eating there. So, for Nick's sake, Warrick was glad Greg and Catherine had eaten somewhere else.

 

"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat as he soaped up Greg's back. He wasn't sure how to explain why the conversation was bizarre without admitting that he'd told Nick about himself and Greg, but at the same time, Greg had told Catherine about his situation with Warrick and the other boyfriend, so Greg would just have to deal with Warrick having a confidant. "We haven't eaten there before, but we just recently came out to each other, so there didn't seem to be a reason not to."

 

"Mm," Greg commented. "They have the best waffles."

 

Warrick laughed. "You just like throwing the strawberries at me," he reminded Greg, and Greg grinned.

 

"Yeah, but you love it."

 

Warrick hadn't once admitted that he liked Greg flinging strawberries at him, and he wasn't about to start now. So he changed the subject. "I like the omelets better."

 

"I know," Greg murmured. "You and your omelets."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"Nothing," Greg said with a laugh. "Just tell me about your bizarro morning."

 

"Bizarre," Warrick corrected, and he was sure Greg rolled his eyes. "Anyway, this guy... I told him about us." Greg stiffened for a moment, but Warrick soothed him with the gentle motions of his hands. "Don't worry, I didn't use any names. I just told him I was dating this great guy who would never kiss me, and then he kissed me to make me feel better." That was an extreme summary of what happened, but it was the important part.

 

Greg was relaxed again, but the part of his face Warrick could see looked confused. "I do kiss you."

 

"I know, I know." To prove it, Warrick leaned forward and kissed Greg's neck, then his cheek, smiling softy when Greg turned to let Warrick kiss his lips. "This was a month ago. I was having some doubts."

 

"Mm," Greg murmured, and Warrick would bet he was remembering. "Me too. I was so sure I was gonna lose you."

 

Greg had been worried about that a whole month ago? "Why didn't you say anything?"

 

Greg smiled lazily. "Cuz you kissed me," he reminded Warrick. "I'd been wanting to kiss you for the longest time, but I didn't think you would let me and I didn't know how to ask. I thought if I tried it'd make you realize I cared about you more than just the sex, and I didn't want to scare you away. I thought... I didn't want you to be, but I was scared you were like all those other guys." Greg turned around then to face Warrick, and Warrick held him, slipping his arms around Greg's waist. "I was an idiot."

 

Warrick shook his head. "They were the idiots," he said softly. "You were just trying to protect yourself."

 

"I know that now." Greg smiled ironically. "I just wish I'd been brave enough to find out sooner."

 

"Me too," Warrick admitted, and thought of something. "So the other guy, he never..."

 

Greg shook his head. "He was already disillusioned like me. If you hadn't kissed me, I don't think I would've been brave enough to kiss him."

 

One point for Warrick Brown. Warrick mentally shook his head, pushing the thought away. Greg didn't want him to think like that, and Warrick had promised to try. "I wouldn't have been brave enough to kiss you if my friend hadn't kissed me," he remembered, sharing Greg's smile.

 

"Your friend, huh?" Greg leaned back against the wall, smiling slyly up at Warrick. "I think I like your friend."

 

And he likes you, Warrick thought ironically. "Maybe I'll have to introduce you sometime," he suggested, even though he didn't really mean it. If he told Greg it was Nick, that would break the confidence they'd shared that morning, and the right to privacy was one of Warrick's most important principles.

 

"I think I'd like that," Greg said softly, and Warrick wondered if Greg was wondering if the friend would kiss him, too. Warrick resisted the instinctual rebellion to the thought that two was already enough for Greg. He didn't even know Greg was thinking it. Hell, he was the one thinking it. Warrick already knew Nick was attracted to Greg. Nick had said he wouldn't kick Greg out of bed, and he'd been the one to kiss Warrick. So Warrick didn't doubt that Nick would kiss Greg, too, if he had the chance. Warrick wondered if that was what Greg meant by voyeuristic fantasies, because he kind of liked the idea of seeing that. Greg's soft smile changed suddenly to a smirk, and he glanced down at the half-erection Warrick hadn't even noticed. "I think you'd like that, too."

 

"Shut up," Warrick said defensively. Greg just laughed.

 

"Okay, okay." Greg leaned forward and kissed him lightly. "I won't push. I'm shutting my mouth now." And he did, but not before he licked his lips.

 

Warrick shook his head. "Why do I put up with you?" Greg grinned.

 

"Because you love me." Smiling, he kissed Warrick again, pulling back before it could get too heavy. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Go on."

 

"Okay." Warrick took a breath, trying to focus his thoughts. "Where was I?"

 

"Your friend kissed you, and then you kissed me, and then I kissed my other boyfriend," Greg supplied helpfully. Warrick briefly closed his eyes. "In sum."

 

"Right." It was strange, but in the context of this conversation, it didn't bother Warrick to think of Greg kissing someone else. Maybe because he liked the idea of Nick kissing Greg, or Nick kissing him, and he wasn't ready to go there yet. "Which was a month ago." Greg nodded. "So, this morning."

 

"It was bizarre," Greg remembered.

 

"Yes," Warrick agreed. "We went to Antony's-"

 

"Wait," Greg said. "He kissed you before you came out to each other?"

 

Warrick laughed. "No, no. That all happened a month ago."

 

"Oh, right." Greg chewed his lip thoughtfully. "So a month ago, you came out to each other, and then you told him about me, and then he kissed you, and you're just now going to Antony's."

 

"Right."

 

"Okay," Greg said. "Continue."

 

It was so cute the way Greg was completely in control of this conversation. "Anyway, we went to Antony's for breakfast. I've... been having some doubts," he admitted, and Greg nodded. Warrick was pretty sure Greg had been having doubts, too; why else would he have talked to Catherine this morning?

 

It was actually a relief to know they each had someone to go to when they needed to talk, someone besides each other. And knowing that they each had a friend to share their doubts with, and still trusting each other in the face of it, made Warrick much more secure in their relationship.

 

Even though they were each having doubts, they each had someone to talk to about them, and where were they now? In each others' arms. Where they belonged. "I told him about how I kissed you, and you kissed me, and things have been good. And how you have another boyfriend you care about and I wasn't sure what to think of that." That had been the point of telling Nick, but when he thought back on it, he'd gotten defensive when Nick's look had implied, to him at least, that it wasn't possible. That was something he'd have to think about in more detail. "And then he said you were dating someone else, so I should too... and I should be dating him."

 

Greg's eyebrows raised, the physical equivalent of Warrick's mental reaction to Nick's suggestion. "What'd you say?" The way Greg asked, he seemed curious rather than jealous. Maybe Greg had been telling the truth when he'd said it wouldn't bother him if Warrick were with someone else.

 

Now that he tried to answer Greg's question, though, he hadn't said much of anything. "Actually, I kind of ran out on him," he remembered. He hadn't given Nick an answer; instead, he'd freaked out on Nick, left a tip, and taken off. He couldn't imagine Nick was feeling too good about himself right now.

 

"You don't look too happy about that," Greg observed in a quiet voice. Warrick shook his head.

 

"I'm not proud of the way I reacted," he admitted. "I was just... so surprised."

 

"So that was the bizarre part, huh?" Greg asked gently, and Warrick nodded. To his surprise, Greg stepped closer, rubbing his hands up and down Warrick's back. Warrick allowed himself to be soothed by the gesture, even though he didn't know why Greg was comforting when he'd clearly been a jerk to his friend. "It's always confusing to realize you're attracted to more than one person." He put his hand over Warrick's mouth before Warrick could protest. "I'm not saying you're attracted to him or not. I just think that if you found his kiss that offensive, you wouldn't still be friends with him." Warrick blinked. He hadn't thought about it that way. "You thought about it, didn't you?"

 

Greg's voice was so soft, so gentle, Warrick didn't feel bad about considering it. And when he did think about it, he realized that some part of him did want to date Nick. Part of him regretted that he and Nick hadn't come out to each other sooner so they could've dated before Warrick got tangled up with Greg.

 

He hardly felt tangled, though. He was right where he wanted to be. If he'd dated Nick before committing to Greg - had he committed to Greg? - he never would've known how wonderful it was to have Greg fully in his life.

 

And part of him wondered why he was so determined to date only Greg. Besides his principles, besides the fact that it wasn't possible to truly love one person and be attracted to someone else at the same time. It wasn't like Greg was telling him he shouldn't be interested in Nick. Greg was actually comforting him and, if the truth be told, Greg was more aware of Warrick's feelings than Warrick was himself.

 

He couldn't remember being so confused in his life. "Maybe I did," he finally admitted.

 

"It's okay, you know." Greg smiled softly at the confused look on his face. What was okay? His attraction to Nick even though he was in love with Greg? The fact that he'd actually wanted to say yes to Nick but his principles wouldn't allow him to? "If you want to go out with him, you should. If you don't want to, you shouldn't." Greg shrugged easily, as if it was just that simple. "Do whatever makes you happy."

 

"You make me happy," Warrick said quietly, still confused. Greg's smile was bright and understanding.

 

"Then wash my back," he suggested, and turned around again. "It'll all work out," Greg promised, resting his face against his arms. "I'm sure of it."


	28. Chapter 28  Sandersonium

  
Author's notes: Greg has a dream.  


* * *

"Here, baby. Come here." Greg lowered his face, pursed his lips and made kissing noises. "Here... there you go. It's okay." His expression intense with concentration, Greg enticed the scribbled angelfish closer with a piece of brine shrimp, then scooped her up with the fishnet and placed her gently in the plastic bag. "This is the same water she's been in," Greg explained, dropping the piece of food in the bag with the fish. Then he picked up the dripping bag and put it into the larger aquarium that was on display in his front room, attaching the open end to the side of the tank. "She's already used to this water; now, she can get used to the temperature of the water in this tank, and the other angels can get used to her." Greg smiled into the tank. "Isn't that right?" he asked the fish. They didn't answer.

 

Warrick nodded, paying close attention in case Greg ever asked him to move a fish for him. It didn't seem likely, since Greg was having so much fun doing it himself, but he paid attention nonetheless. You never knew when knowledge like this could come in handy. "Did you have to do that with the betta too?" he asked, opening up the conversation for whatever direction Greg wanted to take it. He'd been making an effort to make references to Greg's other boyfriend, to show his support and to get used to the idea himself. He'd been thinking a lot about what Greg had said, and more importantly, how Greg had been acting, and he was starting to think that Greg was right. Maybe Greg didn't just think he was in love with two people; maybe he really was. And ever since Warrick had forced himself to be more open to the idea, Greg had seemed happier.

 

"Nope." Greg shook some food into the tank for his emperor angelfish, then put the fish food down and wiped his hands off on his pants. "You can't put two male bettas in the same tank together. They'll fight. They do a lot of damage to each other, if not kill each other."

 

Warrick nodded. He had a feeling that he'd known that, some time in the past, although it wasn't in his recent store of knowledge. "What about females?"

 

Greg smiled cheekily. "Well, that's a different story. Wanna see them?"

 

"Sure." Warrick didn't know if there was more to the story, or if that was it, but he did want to see the bettas. He'd already seen the red and blue ones a thousand times, but the black and orange was a new one for him.

 

It looked different than he'd expected. He wasn't sure what he'd expected; maybe something like a goldfish, mottled with orange and black, but its body was the same shape as the other bettas, orange with thin streaks of black moving outward to the distinctive betta fins that were almost completely black.

 

"Do you know how they breed bettas?" Greg asked, and Warrick shook his head. Greg smiled, picking up another small bottle of food and flaking bits into each bowl. The black-and-orange was front and center, probably because of who'd given it to him.

 

Truth be told, he was a little peeved that the other boyfriend had gotten Greg a fish he'd known would go on Greg's dresser in the bedroom. It seemed more personal than Warrick's fish somehow. They didn't spend all their time together in the bedroom, but it was a reminder that Greg shared his bed with someone else, and it seemed almost like a boast. Warrick didn't want to think that way, but it was hard not to. Greg would see the betta every night before he went to bed; the angelfish was in the front room, and Greg would only see her when he was in the kitchen or the living room, or on the way out of the house.

 

Now that Warrick thought of it, though, Greg would see the fish every time he left for work, and every time he returned. When Greg was in his bedroom, he'd either be sleeping or having sex, and the fish would probably be the last thing on his mind. Every time Greg went to work or came back, though, Greg would be reminded of him.

 

He was probably analyzing this too much. It was just a fish. Two fish. He hadn't given Greg the fish to make Greg love him more than he had before, or to make Greg love him more than the other boyfriend, and it was unfair to think that the other fish had been given with similar intentions. Hell, the other boyfriend hadn't known Warrick would be giving Greg a fish any more than Warrick had known the other boyfriend would be getting a fish for Greg. It was ridiculous to think it meant anything more than that they both knew Greg and knew what he liked. One wasn't better than the other; they were just different.

 

Besides, when he'd bought the fish, he hadn't even known that Greg had only one other boyfriend. The other boyfriend couldn't have known then, either, if he'd gotten it for Greg before Christmas. So it was impossible for it to have been a competitive gift from either of them.

 

"Most people use a film canister," Greg said, and Warrick remembered Greg was talking about breeding bettas. "When the male sees a female that's interested, he builds a nest near the canister for her to put the eggs in. He might breed with more than one female." Warrick tilted his head, wondering at the reason for Greg telling him about this. "A lot of bettas are polyamorous."

 

"They're what?"

 

"Polyamorous," Greg repeated. "It means multi-loving. Poly, amor."

 

"Ah." Warrick smiled, understanding. "Is that what you are?"

 

Greg blushed and nodded. "Yeah. Not like the fish, though." Greg looked up, studying his bettas. "Most of the time, the females will compete to be the mother. They'll destroy the other females' eggs so their line is the one that gets carried on. Sometimes, though, the females will actually get along with each other, and there will be twice as many babies." Greg was silent for a moment before he looked at Warrick. "A lot of people think that when you have so many kids, you have to divide your love between them. But loving your kids is unconditional. You multiply your love, you don't divide it."

 

Warrick knew Greg had stopped talking about fish a long time ago. He smiled softly, taking Greg's hand in his. He knew Greg was trying to explain how he felt about both his boyfriends, not nonexistant children, but he wasn't quite ready to let the conversation stop being metaphorical. "Your parents had a lot of kids?"

 

Greg smiled and shook his head. "Papa Olaf." Even though Greg called him Papa, Warrick knew the man was Greg's grandfather. "I have a lot of aunts and uncles. I'm an only child, though." Greg nudged him lightly. "You know that."

 

"Yeah," he agreed with a slight flush. "Sorry."

 

"It's okay." Greg slipped an arm around his waist and rested his head against Warrick's chest. And Warrick held him, aware that Greg was right. It was okay, and they'd be okay together. Warrick slipped his arm around Greg's shoulders, running his fingers through Greg's hair.

 

Greg's voice had sounded so wistful when he'd talked about parents multiplying their love for their children that Warrick wasn't sure it had been completely metaphorical. He knew part of it was Greg trying to explain how he could love two men at once, but he wondered if part of it was Greg wishing he could have children of his own to love. It was something Warrick had never talked about with any of his partners, but he was intrigued by the idea of Greg wanting children.

 

That would be hard to accomplish, considering that Greg was gay. "Tell me something," he murmured, and Greg nodded against his chest. "Do you ever wish you could have kids of your own?"

 

"Sometimes," Greg said seriously. "I mean, I know I'm young, and it's a huge responsibility. But I always thought someday, after I was retired and got rich from Sandersonium, I'd be able to settle down and have kids."

 

Warrick paused. Polyamorous sounded like it might be a real word, but Sandersonium? "What's Sandersonium?"

 

Greg laughed and hid his face against Warrick's chest. Warrick had a feeling Greg was blushing. Finally, Greg looked up at him, his cheeks flushed pink. "It hasn't been discovered yet," he said with a grin. "It might be an element or a molecule or a protein or something, I don't know yet." Greg paused. "Either Sandersonium, or The Sanders Method."

 

Warrick tried to figure out what that was before Greg told him. A method for attracting multiple men? A new and improved way to style one's hair? "Do I want to ask?"

 

Greg kept grinning, pulling away to flop onto his back. That meant he was feeling particularly pleased with himself. Grinning, Warrick laid down next to him, propping himself up on one elbow. "I'm going to invent a more efficient, more accurate way to analyze DNA. They'll call it The Sanders Method, and everyone who takes analytical biochemistry will have to learn it. There'll be a little blurb in their notes when the professor goes over the brilliant scientist who created it: G. H. Sanders, 1975-2076. Of course, not everyone will take notes on that part, since not everyone takes notes on the inventors. I did, but not everyone does, some people just take notes on what they know they're going to be tested on-"

 

"2076?" Warrick asked.

 

"Yeah," Greg said with a nod. "I want to live to be a hundred and one."

 

Warrick shook his head, amused. "And how long am I going to live?"

 

Greg was quiet for a long time before he answered. "You're going to live to a hundred and six," he said quietly. Warrick sobered, putting an arm around Greg's waist. Greg wanted them to live for the same amount of time. Did that mean Greg wanted to spend the rest of his life with him?

 

It was ridiculous to think about something like that so soon. It was just a rhetorical conversation, and besides, what about the other guy? "How long is he going to live?" he asked, because it seemed like the right thing to do.

 

Greg tried to hide the smile, but Warrick could tell he was pleased. Maybe it wasn't so bad to acknowledge that there was someone else in Greg's life. "A hundred and five," Greg said.

 

"So he's a year younger than me?"

 

Greg nodded. "But don't get a big head about it."

 

Warrick laughed. The other boyfriend might be a year younger than he was, but Greg was five years younger, and Warrick had never thought of Greg as less of an adult because of his age. He'd thought of Greg as less of an adult because of the way he acted sometimes, but not because of his age. "Don't worry, I won't." Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead. Greg might live in a dream world sometimes, but that was one of the things Warrick loved about him; his ability to be optimistic despite the nature of their job, to still hope that he might discover an unknown element or a new method to analyze DNA. "Promise me something," he said.

 

Greg looked up at him and nodded.

 

"Never forget about your dreams, okay? No matter how unrealistic some people think they are."

 

Greg smiled and wrapped his arms around Warrick. "Don't worry," he murmured. "I wasn't planning to."


	29. Chapter 29  Fallen

  
Author's notes: (a) Warrick is assigned to a case with Nick, and Grissom is acting weird.  
  
(b) Warrick and Nick work a case together, Grissom is acting weird, and Warrick misses Greg.  
  
(c) Warrick and Nick work a case together, Grissom is acting weird, and Warrick misses Greg.  


* * *

(a)

 

After having three nights off and spending so many of his free hours with Greg, the return to work was a return to the cold reality of the rest of the world. He wouldn't be seeing Greg for the rest of Greg's nights off, either, because Greg had plans to spend those days with his other boyfriend.

 

Going back to work also meant facing Nick again. He'd never called to apologize like he knew he should have, he'd been so caught up in the time he'd spent with Greg. Greg was right, though; he didn't feel good about the way he'd reacted, and he didn't imagine Nick was feeling all that confident, either. Warrick wouldn't have been surprised if Nick didn't even want to talk to him when they crossed paths again.

 

They didn't cross paths in the locker room probably because Warrick was ten minutes late. He'd waited till the last minute to leave Greg's, loath to take a single moment for granted. They'd kissed at the doorway, and if Warrick hadn't had to go to work, they would've been back in the bedroom.

 

"There you are." Grissom sounded a little impatient, and frankly, Warrick didn't blame him. Before he could apologize, Grissom looked at someone over Warrick's shoulder, then returned his focus to Warrick. "You're with Nick tonight. Body found at the bottom of a high-rise."

 

"Jumped or pushed?"

 

Grissom shrugged apathetically. "You tell me."

 

***

 

Warrick drove. Nick offered, somewhat unconvincingly, to drive to the scene separately, but Warrick insisted. They needed to talk, even if Nick thought he didn't want to.

 

The first few minutes of the drive were awkwardly silent, but when he stopped for the first light, they apologized at the same time. The uncomfortable silence returned, and Warrick finally got the nerve to speak.

 

"I'm sorry about the way I disappeared yesterday," he said, glancing at Nick for a moment, and Nick shook his head.

 

"No, man, it's okay. I shouldn't've pushed. I just thought it was somethin' we both wanted, I mean, you didn't walk out that first time."

 

Warrick smiled to himself, though he didn't let Nick see it. "You kissed me that time to make a point," he reminded Nick. "I didn't realize it was about me." Warrick risked another glance at Nick before turning back to the road again. "It was about me, wasn't it?"

 

Nick sighed quietly. "Partly," he admitted. "But it was partly about me, too. I was bein' selfish, Rick. You were already confused enough, I shouldn't've taken advantage of that."

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Hey," he said, "if I didn't want you to kiss me, you would've known it."

 

"Yeah?" Nick sounded like he was blushing. Warrick shook his head. An experienced ladies' man like Nick embarrassed over a little kiss.

 

"Yeah," Warrick repeated. At the time, he hadn't been proud of liking the kiss, but things had changed. It was more important for Nick to know that he hadn't damaged their friendship than it was for Warrick to pretend he hadn't liked the kiss. "I think that's kinda why I freaked out on you yesterday, too." He paused for a moment, taking his hand from the wheel to drag his fingers through his hair. He couldn't say out loud that for some reason, he'd wanted to take Nick up on his offer. It was a very small part of him, but it was there nonetheless. "I uh, I told him about it."

 

He could feel Nick looking at him. "You did."

 

"Yeah. I didn't tell him who you were." Not that it would've mattered to Nick; Nick didn't know it was anyone he knew. Still, he felt the need to say it.

 

"So... what did he say?"

 

Warrick was silent for a few minutes. This was the part he still didn't get. "He thinks I should go for it if it's what I want." He didn't know why he was telling Nick this, anyway. He didn't want to go for it with Nick, or anyone. He was with Greg. He was happy with Greg. He didn't need anything or anyone else.

 

Still, he wondered.

 

"Is that what you want?" Nick asked tentatively, clearly censoring his own feelings on the subject from his voice.

 

"I don't know." Truth was, he hadn't let himself think about whether he wanted it or not. What he wanted was not to want it. What he wanted was to be secure in the knowledge that he'd have Greg to himself one day.

 

The problem was, he didn't have what he wanted in either case.

 

***

 

The body was face-up. Warrick trained his gaze upward, narrowing down their search area. They had no way yet of knowing what floor their vic had fallen from, but since bodies generally went straight down, Warrick knew what section of the apartment building he'd come from.

 

"I'll take over here," Nick informed him, getting out his camera. "You wanna see if you can find any witnesses?"

 

"Sure, Boss," he said sarcastically, chuckling when Nick just waved him off. He started by leaving a message for the landlord, then started looking for potential witnesses and suspects. Of course, no one had seen or heard anything.

 

He met Nick back at the car at the end of the initial investigating with nothing to offer. Nick had a little more; the cause of death was most likely the trauma to the top of the victim's head. Beyond the fact that it was a blunt object, though, they had nothing.

 

"I'll cast it when we get back to the lab," Warrick offered. The body had been sent back almost an hour ago, so Doc would've had time to find a more conclusive cause of death while he and Nick had interviewed the people in the area.

 

Grissom joined them in the morgue, watching as Warrick made the cast. Nick was giving an update on their progress, describing the wound to the head. "It's an unusual place for a hit," Nick observed. "We usually see attacks from behind, but the wound is on top of the head. It's not the easiest place to hit someone unless you're standing over them, but if that's how it happened, wouldn't you expect it to go from front to back instead of side to side?" When Grissom didn't answer, Warrick looked up, giving Nick a confused look. "What do you think?"

 

Grissom didn't look like he'd even been listening. He was watching Warrick's progress with the casting, but he should've been looking and listening at the same time. He looked up a few seconds later, saw that Nick and Warrick were both staring at him, and nodded. "Good work, guys. Keep it up." Then he left the morgue, leaving Nick and Warrick staring after him.

 

"Is it just me, or was he ignoring you?"

 

Nick shrugged. "I have no idea. It's not the first time he's brushed me off like that."

 

Warrick studied Nick, searching for any signs of insult or offense, but Nick just looked confused. It didn't seem personal, which didn't support his one-time theory that Nick had a thing for Grissom. Shrugging, Warrick went back to his cast, checking to see if it'd dried yet. "Maybe he's distracted."

 

"That's an understatement," Nick muttered, posing by the corpse. He aligned his hands like he was holding a bat, swinging the imaginary bat toward the body and then at the ground. "I don't get it."

 

"Well," Warrick said, carefully removing the cast from the head wound, "maybe this will help us figure it out."

 

***

 

Whatever the murder weapon was, it was bigger than the vic's head, some kind of wedge with a ninety-degree angle. "I got it," Nick said. "The roof."

 

So they headed back to the crime scene, equipped with their cameras and kits. A visual search of the roof didn't reveal any blood, nor did tests with phenolphthalein. "I don't see how this would've worked, anyway," he pointed out. "He was hit up here," he said, indicating the top of his head. "The only way to get hit like that would be if he ran head-first into the wall." Warrick bent at the waist, lining his head up with the edge of the wall. "And why would he do that unless he was crazy?"

 

"Maybe he was," Nick said with a shrug. "Or maybe..." Nick walked over, closing his hand over the back of Warrick's neck. "He was pushed."

 

Warrick shook his head. "If you're going to bash someone's head against the wall, why not just throw him over the edge instead? Wouldn't that be easier?"

 

"Not if he was fighting back." Nick motioned for Warrick to act it out. Shrugging, Warrick pushed back against Nick's hand, wondering how they were going to act out a fight like this without one of them actually getting hurt. If someone had a hold on him the way Nick did, it would be easy to get away, just a duck and roll. They tried it a few different ways, but Nick wasn't able to get the upper hand. "This isn't working."

 

"Because it doesn't make sense." Warrick stood up from the crouch he'd spent several minutes in on and off, cracking his back before he faced Nick again. "Look, when you're in a fight, you fight face-to-face, not face-to-back. Unless he was running away instead of fighting back, it wouldn't have been easy to get him in that position. Besides, we didn't find any evidence of blood."

 

Nick shook his head, staring thoughtfully at the wall. He walked over to the edge again, looking down at where they'd found the body. "What if we've been looking at this the wrong way?"

 

"What have I been saying?" he asked with a roll of his eyes. Nick ignored him.

 

"What if... it didn't happen on the roof." That was a possibility, but it didn't explain the shape of the murder weapon. "Think about it. The only way he could've hit his head this way on the roof would be if he did a backflip and hit his head before he went over."

 

Warrick blinked. "You're saying our guy was an acrobat," he deadpanned.

 

"No," Nick chuckled. "I'm saying it didn't happen on the roof. Come here." Warrick came to stand by Nick at the edge of the roof, looking over the wall to where Nick was pointing. "Each of these apartments has a balcony with a railing. Now, the balcony extends beyond the railing. If our guy got pushed over the edge of the railing..." Nick took Warrick by the shoulders, arranging him with his back to the wall. "Pretend this is the railing. Now if I push you back like this..." Nick pushed back on Warrick's shoulders, just enough to show how he might go over the edge. "When you fall over the railing, your head will hit the edge of the balcony before you hit the ground."

 

Warrick nodded, leaning back enough to picture it in his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw how high they were, and got a rush of vertigo, pushing back up quickly and grabbing Nick's upper arms until he'd regained his equilibrium. This was why he didn't paraglide. He hated heights.

 

When he opened his eyes, Nick was still there, closer than Warrick had remembered, his hands clasped firmly around Warrick's shoulders. Warrick tried to catch his breath, and he didn't know if it was because of the height or because of how close Nick was. "You okay?" Nick asked, and Warrick nodded.

 

"Fine. Just vertigo."

 

Nick nodded in understanding, and Warrick tried to figure out if this would've happened with any of his other partners. He wouldn't have moved away by now if it were Catherine, but if it'd been Sara, he'd've been on the other side of the roof by now. Of course, he thought sarcastically, Sara wouldn't have even asked if he was okay.

 

Warrick took a deep breath, letting his hands drop from Nick's arms. "So our next step is to check the balconies for blood."

 

Nick cleared his throat. "Yeah." His hands dropped from Warrick's arms, lingering for just a moment before he looked over the edge of the wall again. "There are a lot of apartments. Let's try to narrow it down first by getting an ID on the vic, and if that doesn't work, we'll have to check each balcony."

 

"Fun," Warrick said dryly. If they were lucky, they'd get an ID before he had to spend the rest of the shift climbing walls with Nick.

 

(b)

 

There were no hits on IAFIS or CODIS, so they had to approach the vic's identity from another angle. Assuming his body had fallen straight down, he'd been pushed from an apartment number thirty-eight; the problem was, there were forty floors, each with their own apartment number thirty-eight.

 

Unfortunately, knowing what apartment he'd been pushed from didn't guarantee an identity if the vic'd been visiting someone when it happened. On the plus side, that would provide them with an instant suspect.

 

The shift was almost over, so they decided to call it a night. Even if they identified the vic or a suspect by the end of the shift, it was highly unlikely that they'd find both.

 

"Like the Heisenberg uncertainty principle," Greg said when Warrick told him about it on the phone. Warrick chuckled. It figured he'd say something like that.

 

"Yeah, I guess," he agreed. "But there aren't any electrons involved."

 

Greg laughed. "There are always electrons involved. We wouldn't exist if there weren't."

 

"You have a point." Warrick pulled into his driveway, sitting in the idling car with the phone to his ear. He didn't want to end the call, but he knew Greg had plans. "Okay if I call you tonight?"

 

"You don't have to ask if it's okay," Greg said with a smile in his voice. Warrick knew that was the case, knew it made him sound like he was in high school again making plans with a girl for a dance, but he didn't want to make any presumptions about calling Greg when he knew Greg had other plans. "I'll talk to you tonight."

 

He spent the rest of the morning doing errands, keeping himself busy until it was time to get some sleep. He woke up at nine, turning off the alarm and staring at the ceiling, listening to the water fountain in the corner. It had only been a day, but he already missed waking up with Greg.

 

And he knew Greg missed waking up with him. The happiness on Greg's face when they were together wasn't an act. Warrick was confident that he knew Greg well enough to know that. If Greg was that happy with him, though, he knew that the only reason Greg could be seeing someone else was that the other person made him just as happy. It couldn't be easy for Greg having to split his time between the two men he loved, knowing that by being with one of them, he was leaving the other alone. Warrick wouldn't have believed it was possible if not for Greg, if not for the fact that Greg was one of the sincerest, most honest people he knew. Not only that, but one of the things he loved about Greg was how true he was to himself, no matter what anyone thought. Warrick was pretty sure that Greg was the only person who could convince him that this was possible.

 

Greg was probably waking up with his other boyfriend now, wrapped up in his arms, probably being kissed awake. Warrick smiled, realizing he was picturing himself as the one waking Greg up. He was torn between carrying on with the fantasy and reminding himself that the other guy was the reason Greg wasn't here with him. For some reason, resentment didn't come easily, so Warrick carried the fantasy into the shower to minimize cleanup.

 

He hadn't jerked off this often since college, but Greg inspired a lot of things that no one had since Rachael. But even Rachael hadn't inspired Warrick to do something like wait to call so Greg would have a chance to take his time waking up with his other lover. Warrick didn't want to interrupt that, even if it meant having to wait to talk to Greg.

 

Then again, it also meant he didn't have to hear Greg's heavy breathing as he tried to catch his breath, his lover whispering to him in the background. Warrick wasn't sure when he'd started thinking of the other guy as Greg's lover instead of his boyfriend; maybe because he felt more like Greg's lover, so it made sense that the other boyfriend would be Greg's lover, too.

 

Dinner didn't taste as good without Greg to share it with. He knew the separation was necessary because of their situation; if he had a problem with Greg spending time with his other lover, then there was a chance that the other lover would have a problem with Greg spending time with Warrick. So Warrick treated Greg with the respect he deserved, not questioning Greg's choices because he knew that Greg was right. Greg might not love them in exactly the same way, but Greg loved both of them enough that he wasn't willing to lose either of them. Which meant that for the time being, Warrick would have to share.

 

Whatever 'the time being' meant. Things weren't going to change unless Greg fell out of love with one of them, unless one of them decided that it wasn't worth it and left, or unless... unless they were both with Greg all the time.

 

But how would that work?

 

***

 

Their conversation that night was brief, mostly because Warrick hadn't dared call until he'd gotten to work. Every time he'd thought about calling, he'd thought about what Greg might be doing with his other lover, and he thought about how it would've felt if he and Greg were interrupted. He called from the car again, right after he parked at the crime lab, and had to cut it short because he had to get to work.

 

He checked in briefly with Grissom, just long enough for Nick to get there. He and Nick headed back to the break room to discuss their next course of action. "I think we should go back to the scene," Nick suggested, and Warrick shrugged. He didn't have a better plan, and he hadn't heard back from the landlord yet. According to some of residents he'd interviewed, the landlord was on vacation for a week. Warrick had left another message on his voicemail, but he didn't expect to hear back any time soon.

 

When they arrived at the scene, Nick whipped out a pair of high-tech binoculars. When Warrick asked if he'd borrowed them from the PD, Nick shook his head. "A friend got them for me for Christmas. He knows I like to go birdwatching sometimes."

 

"Rich friend," he muttered, and Nick shrugged.

 

"They're not that expensive," he said, but Warrick still had his doubts. It wasn't like it was his business, anyway. And if it would help them find the right apartment, it didn't matter where they came from. "Aha!" Nick said triumphantly. "Ninth floor." He put the binoculars in the back of Warrick's Yukon, passed Warrick's kit to him, then grabbed his own. "Hey, where are you going?"

 

Warrick jerked his head toward the apartment building. "Your balconies are actually fire escapes," he informed Nick. "I'm going up to the ninth floor."

 

"You're gonna walk up nine flights of stairs? Why not just take the elevator?"

 

Warrick smirked, a challenge forming in his mind. "Last one there processes the next decomp."

 

They took off at the same time, attempting to race while still appearing professional. It wasn't easy, but they had a lot of practice.

 

He was in shape, but he was still out of breath by the time he reached the ninth floor. At least, he assumed it was the ninth floor. It wasn't the height that let him know he'd reached his goal; it was the blood spatter on the metal balconies.

 

Warrick greeted Nick with a grin, having caught his breath by the time his partner joined him in the room. "It was open," he explained, motioning toward the door. "And the elevator was practically on the top floor. I had to wait for it to come down."

 

Warrick smirked, but didn't say any more. "Well, this is definitely our crime scene." He took the sample out of his vest pocket, passing it to Nick through the rails. "Tests positive for blood." Climbing the rest of his stairs, he strapped the camera around his neck. "I got pictures. Now if we're lucky, our guy lived here."

 

"Let's find out." It only took them a few minutes to find bills and pictures. "Dan Hoffsterson," Nick said. "Looks like he lives alone, and if we're lucky, this is our guy."

 

"Looks like it from the pictures," Warrick agreed. "Let's get this stuff back to the lab."

 

They were almost done packing everything up when the door burst open. "Who the hell are you?"

 

 

(c)

 

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you not to come in here."

 

Warrick finished packing up his evidence and went to join Nick at the door. Nick was doing the talking, which wasn't unusual. Nick was generally more genial with people; Warrick got along better with evidence.

 

"Why not?" The woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, could've been a sister or a girlfriend or a suspect; whoever she was, she was pissed, and she wasn't moving. "What are you doing here?"

 

"Ma'am, I'm Nick Stokes, and this is Warrick Brown. We're with the crime lab," he explained, his accent thickening the way it always did when he was trying to calm someone down. Sometimes it actually worked.

 

"Crime lab?" she exclaimed, looking between both of them. "What business you got here?"

 

"We're investigating a crime." Warrick interrupted before Nick could speak to state the obvious. "This is a crime scene, Miss...?" he prompted.

 

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, glaring from Warrick to Nick and back again, her hoop earrings swinging wildly with every sweep of her head. "Santori, Gina Santori," she told them, standing up on her tiptoes to try to see past them into the apartment. "Where's Danny, is he okay?"

 

Warrick let Nick take that one. "Miss Santori, I think you should come with us."

 

***

 

Warrick escaped to the trace lab with their evidence. Technically, he should've been there for the identification, but when he could avoid it, he did. Nick looked appropriately somber by the time he caught up with Warrick in the DNA lab, waiting for the results on their blood.

 

"Blood matches your vic."

 

Warrick took the results with barely an acknowledgment of the tech, who'd already gone back to work. He and Nick continued their conversation in the corridor on the way to the evidence room. "D'you like her for it?"

 

Nick shook his head. "I don' know, man. She seemed really shaken up when she saw his body. But that could've been grief or guilt. Do we have any evidence of her in the apartment?"

 

"Everywhere," he confirmed. "Fingerprints all over the place match hers, saliva on the silverware, vaginal contributions in the bed." He shrugged. "All that does is support her claim that she's his girlfriend. You were in there with me," he reminded Nick. "We didn't see any signs of foul play."

 

"How much could you expect from a crime like that, though?" Having reached the evidence room, Nick picked up the digital camera and started looking through the photos. The film hadn't been developed yet, but they were still working on theories. "She pushes him over the railing, he goes over, that's it."

 

"He wouldn't have just let her push him over, though. He would've struggled."

 

"Not if he didn't see it coming." Setting down the camera, Nick leaned back against the table, then turned around to lean against the table while he was facing it, trying out the different angles Gina could've pushed Dan. "What if..." Nick frowned, then turned to face the other way again, his arms out in front of him. Warrick couldn't see his face until he turned around again. "What if they were getting close? It's a nice day out so they're out on the balcony, makin' out, and she's got him so distracted that when she pushes him over, he doesn't think to struggle."

 

"Because he's thinking with the wrong head," Warrick agreed, and Nick snickered. "Okay, that's possible. What's the motive?"

 

Nick shrugged. "Insurance policy maybe? Now we know who he is, we can check his policies. There's just one thing that doesn't fit, though."

 

"Hm," Warrick asked.

 

"The blood was still there in plain view. It didn't smell like cleaner or bleach and there weren't any signs of an attempt to get rid of the blood. If she'd killed him, wouldn't she have at least tried to get it off?"

 

"Unless she didn't see the blood, but you were able to see it from the street," Warrick pointed out. Nick had the help of his fancy binoculars, but if she or anyone had pushed him, he had to imagine that the sound of Dan's head splitting open would've attracted the perp's attention downward, which would've given a clear view of the blood.

 

"What're you thinking, it was an accident?"

 

"It's possible."

 

"But if it was accident, did it happen while they were getting up close and personal?"

 

Warrick nodded, knowing where Nick was going with this. "Or did he accidentally take a fall?"

 

"Or a dive," Nick wondered grimly, "on purpose."


	30. Chapter 30  Trust

  
Author's notes: none  


* * *

The vic had life insurance, but his sister was the beneficiary, not the girlfriend. The two had been dating for only a few months, so it wasn't unsurprising that Gina didn't have life insurance on him. Unfortunately, it also meant that the most obvious motive had been eliminated, so if they wanted to interrogate her, they needed more to go on first.

 

"What if she found out he was cheating on her?" Nick suggested. Warrick looked up from the crime scene photos.

 

"We didn't find evidence of any other women in the apartment," he pointed out. Years ago, his first instinct would've been to question whether that would be enough motive for one person to kill another, but he'd seen enough cases where that had been exactly the case for him to question it anymore.

 

"Or men," Nick qualified, and Warrick shrugged and nodded. Even though he was bi, he usually defaulted to the heterosexual viewpoint out of habit. It didn't make a difference, anyway. They hadn't found evidence of anyone other than Gina in Dan's bed or in his kitchen. They'd located some unidentified epithelials and fingerprints in the usual places; the doorknob, furniture, remote, video game console. They hadn't pursued those possibilities because of the distance from the actual scene of the crime, the fire escape. There wasn't evidence of anyone other than Dan on the fire escape, which was making suicide or accidental death look more likely.

 

He wasn't convinced that it was suicide, though. The cause of death wasn't consistent. "If you were going to jump off a building, how would you do it?"

 

Nick didn't miss a beat. "With a helmet and a parachute," he said, holding up his hands before Warrick could remind him they were talking about a potential suicide. "But if I were tryin' to off myself, I'd probably climb up to the roof and jump from there."

 

"What I don't get is - if he wanted to kill himself, why didn't he just jump? Climb onto the railing and jump off from there." He sorted through the photos, finally finding the one that showed the distance between the railing and the edge of the fire escape platform. "It would've taken a lot of coordination to get his head to hit the edge right where it did. He would've had to aim his body and fall just right."

 

"So, let's say it was an accident. That would've taken a lot of coordination too."

 

"Not necessarily." Warrick wished he had a dummy to illustrate what he was picturing, but instead, he used the photos. "Now, assume he was sitting on the rail."

 

"Why?"

 

"I have an idea," he started, but Nick shook his head.

 

"No, I mean why would he be sitting on the rail?"

 

"Just hanging out," he said with a shrug. "Haven't you ever, I don't know, sat on a fence rail?" Nick smirked, but spread his hands to indicate that it was possible. Warrick decided to move on. "Say he's just sitting on the rail, and he loses his balance. He falls back and grabs on with his hands, but he's already fallen far enough that he can't pull himself up. Loses his grip, hits his head on the edge, falls the rest of the way down to the ground."

 

"I guess it's possible," Nick allowed, studying the photos over Warrick's shoulder, his hand resting on Warrick's upper back. Over the past few weeks, the joking between them had disappeared, replaced by serious inquiries from Nick as to whether Warrick would date him and, more recently, these casual touches even at work.

 

It wasn't the casual touches that were new so much as the meaning behind them. No one watching would read anything into it, since they'd always been comfortable touching each other in the context of a case or thinking through hypotheses, but Warrick knew that if it didn't mean anything, Nick would have stopped. Since the kiss, and especially since Nick had made it clear that he wanted to date him, Warrick was concerned with keeping their friendship and working relationship intact, and he was sure Nick was, too. Warrick had screwed up by running out on Nick and he knew that if he indicated any discomfort with Nick's closeness, Warrick trusted that Nick would back off. But Nick wasn't making him feel uncomfortable, so he didn't say anything about it.

 

"I don't think we have anything on her or anyone else," he concluded. "We can do some more interviews and look around the crime scene again, but I don't think we'll find anything new."

 

"You might be right," Nick said thoughtfully. He stayed where he was as Warrick flipped through the photos one more time, then brought his hand up to the back of Warrick's neck and squeezed lightly before letting his hand fall away. When Warrick turned around, Nick was looking at his watch. "We have a good three hours. Let's go back to the scene, interview the neighbors and double-check our evidence. If nothing new shows up, we'll bring it to Grissom."

 

***

 

They closed the case a half hour before the end of the shift, ruling it an accidental death. To the best of their knowledge, it wasn't a crime scene at all. Instead, it was a case of carelessness and misfortune.

 

"Wanna go out for breakfast?"

 

Warrick smiled as he balled up his shirt and tossed it in his duffle bag, taking out a clean shirt to wear home. He knew Nick's offer was sincere, and even though he didn't know if it was offered as a friend or with the hope of more, he would've said yes if he hadn't already have plans. "Actually, I have a few things to take care of." The offer was tempting, though, a chance for him to show Nick that there weren't any hard feelings. "Tell you what. I have to drop off a few things, but I can meet you for breakfast in about an hour."

 

Nick looked like he'd been expecting Warrick to refuse, but he didn't argue. Instead, he grinned, and started to unbutton his shirt. "Antony's?"

 

"Sure," he agreed with a nod. Might as well get their friendship back on track at the same place he'd almost ruined it. "See you there."

 

***

 

He left Nick in the locker room, in a hurry to get to his car so he could call Greg. Fortunately, Greg was alone, so they were able to talk for the duration of the drive.

 

"When's a good time for me to come over?" he asked, grinning when Greg said he could come over right then. "I'd love to, but I'm going to breakfast with Nick. I can be there after, though."

 

"Sure. I'll make sure there's coffee."

 

"Good," he said with a chuckle. "Want me to bring anything?"

 

"Just yourself," Greg said with a grin in his voice. "I can't wait to see you."

 

"Me either," he admitted with his own grin. "See you in a few hours."

 

***

They spent the first part of breakfast talking about safe topics like work, but Warrick knew that would change before he left. There were things they needed to talk about and things he wanted to talk about. Their relationship had changed drastically in the last few days and Warrick was finally ready to discuss it. Nick seemed ready to discuss it, too.

 

This time when he put his hand over Warrick's from across the table, Warrick didn't pull away. He was a little uncomfortable; it was more than just a friendly touch, and he knew anyone watching might interpret it as a touch between lovers. They were at Antony's, so he wasn't worried about being seen with another man. It was just that this was Nick, and as comfortable as he was with Nick, Nick wasn't Greg. It didn't feel completely right to further their relationship without talking to Greg about it first, but it wasn't enough for Warrick to pull away. It felt a little like cheating, even though he knew it wasn't. They weren't doing anything; Nick was just touching his hand.

 

"I just wanted to say, I'm glad we can still hang out."

 

Warrick had a feeling that had been hard for Nick to say. He also had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that, but Nick might not be sure that anything more would be welcome. "Me too," he said sincerely, looking down at his hand under Nick's. He was torn between taking his hand away and turning it over in Nick's so Nick would know the touch wasn't unwelcome; in the end, he gave into his discomfort and slid his hand out from under Nick's and into his lap.

 

Nick was silent for a long time. Warrick didn't blame him. He'd just agreed with what Nick had said about them being able to hang out, then he'd taken his hand away. Talk about sending mixed signals. After a while, Nick cleared his throat, and Warrick finally looked up to face him. "I don't want things to be weird between us, Rick."

 

"I know. I'm sorry." Warrick sighed, trailing his fork through the remains of his breakfast. "I'm just... about to take a big step, and I don't want to mess things up between us."

 

"You mean between you and him?" Nick asked, and Warrick nodded. Nick paused. "Mind if I ask what it is?"

 

Part of him wanted to share his plans with Nick, get Nick's advice, maybe even his blessing. It was a strange thing to want, and it wasn't Nick's place to give his blessing. Nick was just his friend, not anyone he had to answer to. But he felt like he owed some loyalty to Nick, as a friend, as whatever else Nick wanted to be. But he had an even greater loyalty to Greg. "I wanna talk to him about it first," he finally decided, and put his hand over Nick's this time. "But I'll let you know how it works out."

 

Nick smiled appreciatively, and turned his hand over in Warrick's. "I hope it works out for you," he said with a soft smile. Warrick shook his head in amazement. Nick had been pursuing him, but he seemed genuinely invested in Warrick's happiness, even if it wasn't with him.

 

And Nick might still be thinking there could be more than friendship between them, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Warrick knew it was a possibility. He wasn't ready for a new level of closeness between them, to the point that it was difficult to admit to himself how close they'd gotten recently. Not nearly as close as he and Greg were, but that was little consolation when he realized just how much he was enjoying spending time with Nick.

 

"Me too," he finally said. He stared thoughtfully at their hands, but it wasn't until Nick cleared his throat that Warrick realized he was stroking his fingers over Nick's. He jerked his hand back, staring hard at the plate in front of him. "Sorry," he muttered, and looked up to see Nick shaking his head.

 

"Don't be," Nick said gently. He leaned across the table, his chin propped up in his hands. "I know you're in love with him. I'm not gonna ask you for anythin'." Warrick assumed it was implied that anything that was offered would be accepted.

 

He nodded appreciatively anyway, reaching up to pat Nick's hand before he got up. He didn't know what was going on in his head, but he knew things were changing, and he had Greg and Nick to thank for it.

 

The thing was, at first he'd thought it was a bad thing. But even though he was getting more confused as time went on, he was starting to wonder if it was a good thing.

 

***

Ever since he'd made the decision to take the next big step with Greg, he'd been more nervous than he could remember being in a long time. He was looking forward to it, but he was also worried that Greg might not accept, or that Greg wouldn't realize it was as big of a deal as it actually was to him. Like his music, his feelings were something he kept close to his heart, and it had been years since he'd been so open about how he felt about someone. The fact that he'd admitted his feelings to Greg, to himself, and to Nick was huge, and he was ready to make a gesture to show Greg how important he was to Warrick. Saying the words was one thing; showing Greg that he trusted Greg enough to give him this was more than he'd even given to Rachael.

 

Nick's support, even though he didn't know what exactly he was supporting, calmed Warrick's nerves a little. He didn't know if he'd be taking this step if it weren't for Nick; it was the conversations he'd had with Nick that encouraged him to kiss Greg in the first place, and if he hadn't done that, hadn't found out that Greg wanted the same thing he did, he never would've gotten to this point. He never would've let himself fall in love with Greg and he wouldn't have been willing to make a commitment to a man who was with him and another person if he hadn't realized the strength of Greg's feelings and his own. In a lot of ways, Nick was to thank for the progress he and Greg had made, and Warrick was sure Catherine had played a part in it too just by being there for Greg to talk to. Maybe, after he found out how Greg reacted to his offer today, he might start thinking about telling Nick and Catherine that the two of them were together.

 

As comforting as Nick's support was, though, he was still a nervous wreck when he pulled into Greg's driveway. This was more than just telling Greg he loved him; if he ever wanted to take it back, he'd have to take it back physically. He wouldn't be able to just distance himself emotionally. But he loved Greg and he knew he trusted him, and even though things were moving so fast, he didn't think it was a mistake. Over the past seven or eight months, he'd never wavered in caring about Greg; his feelings had gotten nothing but stronger. He'd had his doubts about his ability to share Greg with someone else, and he'd had doubts about Greg's feelings for him, but he'd never doubted the fact that he cared about Greg and wanted Greg in his life, no matter how complicated it was. He couldn't go back now. He didn't want to.

 

Greg greeted him at the front door with a wide smile, his fingers instantly curling in the fabric of Warrick's shirt as he pulled him down for a kiss, not even caring that the door was open and neighbors might see. The semi-public kiss was a pleasant surprise, and Warrick returned it, sliding his fingers through Greg's hair as he stepped inside. "Missed me, huh?" he teased, even though he knew he missed Greg just as much as Greg missed him. Greg chuckled, leaning up to press another soft kiss to Warrick's lips.

 

"Of course," he murmured, and wound his arms around Warrick's neck. "How was breakfast?"

 

"Mmm, it was good." He was referring to the food more than to the conversation he'd had with Nick; at least, that was what he told himself. He still wasn't entirely sure how he felt about everything they'd discussed. "I'm full."

 

"You sure?" Greg's eyes glinted with mischief as he lifted his finger to Warrick's lips, pressing down lightly. Warrick let his mouth open just enough to let Greg's fingertip inside. "You must have room for coffee."

 

Normally he might joke that Greg was a tease, but he wasn't sure how Greg would take it. "I might be able to handle a cup," he allowed, wrapping his lips around Greg's fingertip. Greg looked intrigued, but Warrick didn't go any further, instead letting Greg's finger slip from his mouth so he could kiss Greg on the lips. "You eat yet?"

 

Greg nodded. "Yeah. It's..." He lifted his hand to look at his watch. "...almost one. Hey, I should be asleep by now," he accused, putting a hand on Warrick's chest to pin him to the door. Warrick knew he could get away easily if he wanted to. He just didn't want to.

 

"Well, before we go to bed, I have something for you." He figured it was better to start off optimistically, instead of saying there was something they had to talk about. That would just make Greg apprehensive, and Warrick was already apprehensive enough for the both of them.

 

"Yeah?" he asked, a pleased blush coloring his face. Warrick nodded, smiling at the happily surprised look on Greg's face. Greg didn't even know what Warrick had for him and he was happy. Warrick just hoped that he'd stay that way once he realized what was being offered.

 

"Yeah," he said, and took Greg's hand. Greg looked curious, but he didn't say anything as Warrick preceeded him to the sofa, where they both sat facing each other. Not sure how to start, Warrick took the key out of his pocket, turning it over in his hands for a few minutes before he got the courage to speak. "I uh, I know you don't like it when I leave my house unlocked." It was a stupid way to begin, but he was still nervous and not exactly thinking straight. "So I made a copy of my key for you." He held the key out to Greg, squeezing his lips together and then licking them as he waited for Greg's response.

 

Greg took the key slowly, stroking it with his thumb for a few minutes. He didn't look at Warrick at first, but then he was reaching for Warrick's hand, holding it in his as he looked Warrick directly in the eye. "Thank you," he said softly, squeezing his hand around Warrick's. He took a deep breath, his eyes darting between Warrick and the key a few times before he spoke again, this time more hesitantly. "Does this mean you're okay with...?"

 

He hadn't expected that. Maybe he should have, but he hadn't. "I don't know," he admitted. Greg looked as nervous as Warrick had felt earlier, so he knew he had to come up with an answer now. "Look," he said, his voice a little huskier than usual, "I don't understand and I don't know if I ever will. And I'll probably always want you to myself." That was as brutally honest as he could be, and he knew it might hurt Greg, but he couldn't lie to himself or to Greg. Honestly, unless something ended up developing between himself and Nick, he was sure he'd always want Greg to himself. If there was ever a time when he wanted to be with both Greg and Nick the way Greg wanted to be with both him and Greg's other lover, then he would understand; he would have to. Until that happened (if it ever did), he didn't know how he could understand the way Greg wanted him to. "But I know that I love you, and I want you in my life. If you weren't with him, I'd probably be asking you to move in with me." That was far more than he'd been expecting to admit, but he couldn't take it back now. He guessed he just wanted Greg to know how much this gesture meant to him.

 

Greg stared down at his lap, his fingers tightening in Warrick's as they sat there silently. He wished he could see Greg's face, see what Greg was thinking, and when Greg looked up with unshed tears glittering in his eyes, he wished even more that he knew what Greg was thinking. Greg opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head, sinking out of his sitting position to rest his upper body against Warrick's.

 

"Talk to me," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Greg in an embrace. Greg wasn't pulling away, wasn't telling him to leave, so he could only assume that Greg wasn't too upset by what he'd said.

 

"I just..." Greg took a shaky breath, his arm slipping around Warrick's waist. "Always wanted this, but I didn't think I'd ever have it. And now..." He looked up at Warrick, sadness in his eyes. "I don't deserve it."

 

"What?" he asked incredulously, rubbing Greg's shoulder with his hand. "Why would you think that?"

 

"Because I can't choose between you," Greg whispered, hiding his face against Warrick's chest again. "You deserve better than that."

 

"Hey." Warrick took his arms from around Greg so he could hold Greg's face in his hands, tilting Greg's face up so Greg had to look at him when he opened his eyes. "Just because you happen to love two people doesn't mean you deserve to be happy any less than anyone else. You're a good person, Greg. And the fact that the two people you love both love you back and don't want to lose you? That just shows how amazing of a person you are."

 

Greg gave him a watery smile. "You really think so?"

 

"I know so," he reassured his lover, framing Greg's face in his hands as he leaned in to press a gentle to kiss to Greg's lips. He hadn't realized until now that he felt that way. Why was it that he didn't understand how he felt about something until he had to tell someone else? "I'm not going anywhere, and if he loves you as much as I do, neither is he." It was the strangest thing to be reassuring his lover that his other lover wouldn't be going anywhere, but he realized that his own words were right. Greg was an amazing man, and that was why they both loved him. It wasn't casual and it wasn't simple, but it was real. And Warrick was finally starting to realize that that was more important than tradition.


	31. Chapter 31  Marked

  
Author's notes: (a) After an emotional morning, Warrick and Greg fall asleep together.

(b) They mark each other.  


* * *

(a)

 

They almost fell asleep on the couch again, but Warrick managed to recognize when he was getting drowsy and nudged Greg up from the couch. It had been an emotional morning for both of them, but more importantly, it had been reaffirming for both of them as well.

 

Greg was alert just long enough to get undressed before he crawled into bed, but Warrick was still wide awake when Greg settled back against him, Greg's back to his chest so Warrick could spoon around him. He rested his head against Greg's hair, breathing him in, kissing down the side of Greg's face to his neck just for the sake of kissing him. He settled in with his arms around Greg's waist, savoring the feeling of holding Greg in his arms. After sleeping alone for two days, it was amazing to be in bed with his lover again. If there weren't any other benefits to Greg having another lover, it was that their time apart made him appreciate his time with Greg even more.

 

Smiling to himself, he brushed a kiss over a shadow on Greg's neck, pulling back curiously when he realized it wasn't a shadow. It was a faded bruise, just about the right size to be a hickey, but too pale to be recent. Warrick knew he hadn't given it to Greg, so it must've been Greg's other lover.

 

It was inevitable, he supposed, to find evidence of the other man on Greg's body. They'd never marked each other before; at first, because Greg had avoided using his mouth for anything other than a blowjob, then later because they'd been so caught up in kissing each other that they hadn't strayed far from kissing on the mouth. Things must be progressing between Greg and his other lover; it had gone farther than making out. Warrick couldn't help but wonder if Greg wanted more from Warrick now, or, if he decided to mark Greg, if Greg would interpret it as competition. Warrick himself didn't know if the sudden urge to mark Greg was competition, but he knew it couldn't be anything else. He was jealous that someone else had gotten that close to Greg and not only that, he'd marked Greg as his own.

 

It was juvenile to be jealous over something like that, especially when he was well aware that there was another man in Greg's life. He'd gotten used to the idea, even accepted it. But it was one thing to know there was someone else and entirely another thing to see proof of it, to picture someone else sucking on Greg's neck, making him gasp and moan.

 

Warrick closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against Greg's shoulder. He had to just deal with this. Nothing had changed except that Greg had a mark on his neck. It didn't have to mean anything if he didn't let it. And he couldn't let it, because he didn't want to end up getting in a fight with Greg or trying to claim him out of some territorial instinct. It wouldn't be fair to Greg.

 

Eyes still closed, Warrick continued brushing kisses over Greg's shoulder and cheek and hair, purposely avoiding the mark on Greg's neck. He knew he couldn't avoid it forever, but for now, he had to just pretend it wasn't there.

 

(b)

 

His body was awake before he was. They were in the same position they'd fallen asleep in, Warrick spooned around Greg's back, his arms around Greg's naked waist. Greg was rubbing his body back against Warrick's, shamelessly seductive and lethargic, the way Greg only got when he was caught between sleep and waking. Warrick trailed one hand up to Greg's chest, his smile disappearing against Greg's neck with the first gentle kiss to the soft skin under his lips.

 

Greg woke slowly, his actions pausing for a bit as he regained consciousness and then starting up again when he recognized Warrick's interest, the renewed movement of his body against Warrick's slow and full of purpose this time. He rolled half onto his back to get closer, pressing his body more firmly against Warrick's and twisting his head around for a deep, lazy kiss.

 

"Just like this," he murmured, reaching behind him to cup Warrick's ass and pull him closer. "Please?"

 

Greg didn't have to ask twice. They reached for the drawer at the same time, but Greg was closer, so he got to the lube and condoms first, passing them back to Warrick and abandoning the enunciation of his request for incoherent murmuring. Warrick loved when Greg got like this, impatient and needy, forgetting about the facts and skills that made him good at his job in favor of answering only to instinct.

 

They hadn't fucked in over two months, but this time, it wouldn't be just fucking. It would be making love. Warrick was tempted to change position so he could see Greg's face, but there would be plenty of time for that later. It had been so long since they'd given into the heat of the moment instead of having to think every little thing through. This had nothing to do with needing to know that Greg was his and everything to do with just showing Greg how much he wanted him. He'd spent so much time worrying about what Greg was thinking that he hadn't let himself go the way he used to, and he missed that. And there was no reason he had to.

 

Greg's face was buried in the pillow as Warrick fumbled with the condom, attempting to be quick and careful at the same time. They hadn't done anything that required a condom since before their first kiss and he was hard pressed to coordinate something so important when his mind was on more primitive things. Like fucking Greg into the mattress until they were both so sore they'd be walking funny at work tonight.

 

The noises Greg was making weren't helping. He was starting to think that he'd be lucky to get the condom on without coming just from the sound of Greg's voice. Greg was always so expressive, not in words, but in sounds, letting Warrick know just how badly he wanted this. Once he'd managed to get the condom on, Warrick slicked his fingers with lube and gently massaged Greg's skin, wanting to ease him into it after it'd been so long for both of them. It occurred to him that Greg might've already done this with his other lover, but even if he had, Warrick wasn't about to rush Greg, no matter how impatient they both were.

 

Greg had changed position again, rolling almost onto his stomach in an attempt to allow Warrick's fingers as deep as possible. Warrick's eyes drifted shut as he peppered kisses across the breadth of Greg's shoulders, his lips and tongue moving in time with his fingers, slowly moving inside Greg for the first time without gloves. It amazed him to remember what Greg had said about the gloves; that it had just been another way for Greg to keep from getting close to him, protection more for his heart than for his body. And Warrick could feel the difference, could feel every twitch and tightening of the muscles as he worked his fingers inside.

 

"Feel so good," he whispered against Greg's neck, his cock twitching in jealousy when Greg tightened around his fingers. He'd always thought it was good with Greg, but this was even better. Greg whimpered and thrust back onto his fingers, his hand cupping Warrick's ass again and when he pressed another kiss to the back of Greg's neck, Greg clenched around him and a second later, Warrick realized Greg had already come.

 

"Fuck," Greg whispered, hiding his face in the sheets as Warrick slipped his fingers out, gently stroking Greg's flank. Greg was still moving back, trying to get closer, his fingers coming up to tangle in Warrick's hair, holding him close. Warrick pressed a kiss to Greg's shoulder, resting his forehead in the crook of Greg's neck. "Sorry," Greg managed, still panting to get his breath back. "Didn't think I'd go so soon."

 

"Sokay," Warrick murmured, lazily exploring Greg's shoulder with his mouth. His cock was hard and aching, trapped in a currently useless condom, but being able to have this effect on Greg was as rewarding as coming himself.

 

Greg took a few more deep breaths, then settled back against Warrick, releasing his tight grip on Warrick's hair to cup the back of his neck instead. He was more relaxed now, practically nuzzling. "Gimme a few minutes an' I can go another round," he offered, making Warrick chuckle. He could say it was okay, that Greg didn't have to, but he knew Greg wanted it as much as he did. He was just lucky that Greg was young enough to recover so quickly.

 

And as badly as he wanted Greg at that moment, he was content to hold Greg in his arms until Greg was ready to move again. This was as good as the sex, knowing that he could hold and kiss and nuzzle Greg and not have to worry that Greg wouldn't like it. All those times he'd pulled away, he knew now, Greg had wanted it as much as he had. Greg had just been afraid to feel that good, knowing from past experience that the feelings evoked might not be returned. It had frustrated him for the longest time, but he couldn't blame Greg for acting on what he'd learned.

 

It had taken years for Warrick to admit to himself that his attraction to men was more than just sexual, that it was a part of him just as much as his desire for Rachael had been. He'd wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, not just because he'd been in love, but because he'd been taught that it was the normal course: marry a woman, satisfy his urges with men on the side. He never would've been able to do that, because loyalty had been ingrained even more strongly. So once he'd come to terms with the fact that he wanted with men the same thing he wanted with women, he'd known he would have to choose one day. He could be with a man or a woman, but not both.

 

The ironic thing was that now, with Greg's openness, he could be with a woman too if he wanted, and it wouldn't be cheating because Greg would know about it and was even okay with it. Every time there'd been a chance for Greg to be jealous, he hadn't been. He'd just expressed his desire for Warrick to be happy, no matter what he needed to be happy, and he'd done so with such sincerity that Warrick couldn't doubt him.

 

He could be with two people and still be loyal to each of them, and that was something Greg and Greg alone had taught him. It wasn't like the other life lessons he'd learned from experience; it wasn't cheating, nor was it greed. It wasn't having his cake and eating it too. It was okay, because Greg was okay with it, and Greg was one of the smartest people he'd ever met.

 

What was ironic about the whole thing was that there weren't any women he wanted to be with. Sure, there were women he found attractive, but not to the extent that he'd wanted to date or sleep with any of them. And his dreams - maybe at one time they'd been plans - of settling down with a woman, marrying her and having children with her, had been replaced with the hope of doing all that with a man. In particular, with Greg. Even though Greg had another lover, it still seemed so viable, the two of them living together and growing old together, Greg's other lover a shadow in the background. His way of thinking had changed drastically, and all because of Greg. And the thing was, he couldn't picture himself sharing anyone but Greg. It wasn't that he thought there was something wrong with it or that he had double standards that applied only to Greg; it was just that he couldn't picture himself loving anyone else as much as he loved Greg, enough that he was willing to share. He knew he'd come a long way, and while at first the transition had frustrated him, now he was grateful to Greg for opening his eyes.

 

So what if he'd seen a mark on Greg this morning? It was bound to happen. They marked each other in different ways; this was just the first physical example. A hickey, a fish as a Christmas present, time Warrick spent alone or with other friends so that Greg could be with his other lover - they were all representative of the fact that Greg had someone else in his life, someone who made Greg happy and who, Warrick was sure, Greg made happy. There were sacrifices, but there were benefits, too. It all evened out in the end.

 

"Be right back," Greg whispered, dropping a kiss on Warrick's forehead before he climbed out of bed and walked the short distance to the bathroom. Warrick rolled onto his back and stretched out until his back cracked, his muscles a little cramped from being in the same position all day.

 

He rolled his head to the side when he heard Greg turn off the tap, watching Greg come out of the bathroom and stand by the bed, just looking at him, taking him in. Warrick remembered Greg's comment about wanting to watch him, and Warrick flushed, a bit embarrassed, but he didn't hide because he had nothing to hide from Greg. He worked out at the gym, he ate right, and he took care of himself. He knew he was attractive and there was no reason to want to hide from Greg.

 

He wasn't used to this intense scrutiny, though. Greg rolled his lips into his mouth, moistening them with his tongue as his lips went back to normal, his eyes roving over Warrick's body from head to toe. The sheet covered half his body, but it did nothing to hide his erection, tenting the sheet in a way that would've had him covering up if it were anyone but Greg. He was still tempted to do so, cover himself with his hands or a pillow, but Greg had every right to look at him even though it made him uncomfortable. And it only made him uncomfortable because he'd never been looked at like this, he reasoned. He just wasn't used to it. And if Greg liked to look, it was worth a little discomfort, right?

 

Greg shook his head slightly as he climbed into the bed, his eyes on Warrick's upper body. "You're gorgeous, you know that?" he murmured, reaching out to trace Warrick's abdomen. It twitched under Greg's fingers, and so did Warrick's cock, completely unaware of Warrick's embarrassment. Greg's hand moved lower, lifting the edge of the sheet and peeling it slowly away.

 

"So-" His voice came out scratchy, so he stopped to clear his throat, his eyes trained on Greg's face. "So are you."

 

Greg chuckled lightly and shook his head, moving up to straddle Warrick's stomach. "No I'm not," he muttered. Warrick reached for Greg's hand.

 

"You are," he insisted, even though he knew it would be nearly impossible to convince Greg of it. Greg refused to believe that he was beautiful, always ready to point out his flaws to anyone who would listen. Warrick always listened, but he silently disagreed, choosing to show with actions instead of words that he thought Greg was beautiful.

 

Greg played with Warrick's hand, tracing Warrick's fingers and then lacing their fingers together. "Matter of opinion," he murmured, and Warrick responded with, "Matter of fact."

 

Greg shrugged, looking down at Warrick with a bashful smile. "Well, either way, it's nice to hear." That meant Greg still didn't believe it, but he didn't want to argue anymore, either. Warrick let it go, because Greg had, smiling as he rubbed his thumb over the back of Greg's hand. Then closed his eyes and let his breath go shallow as Greg reached back to stroke his cock, fingers moving deftly and skillfully. "Can't wait till we can do this without a condom," he murmured, then clapped a hand over his mouth as Warrick opened his eyes. "Sorry," he squeaked, looking terrified that he'd ruined the mood.

 

"Hey, it's okay," he said gently, stroking Greg's thighs reassuringly. The relief that lit up Greg's face was worth any picture that came to mind of Greg with someone else. Actually, the picture didn't bother him that much anymore. He'd had weeks to get used to it, and like in thoughts of the future, it was merely a shadow.

 

It was a little frustrating to still have to use condoms, but Warrick knew it was better to be safe than sorry. It was sort of a relief, actually. As hard as it had been to get used to the idea of sharing Greg with someone else, it had been even harder to realize that he was touching the same parts of Greg that someone else had, and that in effect, if they didn't use condoms, it would be like indirectly touching the other man. It was weird, for lack of a better word, and by the time they didn't have to use condoms anymore, Warrick was confident that like with everything else, he would've gotten used to the idea.

 

He wondered how the other guy felt, knowing that he was responsible for the extra three months of protection. And it was one thing if it had just been him and Greg; but if Greg discussed Warrick with his other lover the way Greg discussed his other lover with Warrick, then the other man knew that he was keeping Warrick from being able to be with Greg safely, too. He probably worried that if they ever met, Warrick would hold something against him, or blame him for making Warrick share Greg with him. He probably wondered if Warrick might think that he deserved Greg less because he'd dated other people while dating Greg.

 

He wasn't sure how the other man felt; he hadn't really thought about the other man's opinion of him before. He hadn't really thought of the other man as anything other than the other man in Greg's life, but he wasn't just something, he was someone. He was a human being who was in love with Greg and wanted to be with Greg just as much as Warrick did. A person capable of loving Greg and sharing him, and not only that, but capturing Greg's love too. It was a rare and precious thing, and Warrick knew he had to be quite a guy for Greg to have fallen in love with him.

 

"You know what, you can tell him something for me."

 

"What?" Greg's voice was so full of astonishment that it wasn't merely an inquiry as to what Warrick wanted Greg to say; it was shock that Warrick wanted Greg to tell the other man anything at all. Hell, it was surprising to Warrick, but if the other man had been having as many doubts and questions as he had, he knew it would be helpful to have some reassurances.

 

"I mean it," he said seriously, still stroking Greg's thighs. "Tell him I don't hold it against him, okay? I'm just glad that he's been honest with you and wants to make sure you're safe."

 

Greg stared down at him for a long time, his eyes wide, lips parted in surprise. As it sank in, so did Greg, hunching forward to brace himself with his hands on Warrick's chest. "Okay," he agreed with an enthusiastic nod, a grin breaking out on his face. "I will."

 

"Cmere," he said with a grin, sliding his hands up Greg's sides and wrapping his arms around Greg's back as Greg bent at the waist to accept the kiss, a smile still splitting his face as Warrick held him close. They were chest to chest now, Greg's half-hard cock twitching between their stomachs, Greg lauging joyfully against his mouth. If giving a message got this kind of reaction, Warrick was going to do it more often.

 

He knew Greg was ready when Greg arched his back, unconsciously trying to get closer to Warrick's cock. Warrick reached for the lube, slipping his fingers inside Greg another time just to make sure it would be as easy as possible for him. The joy on Greg's face had been replaced with ecstatic anticipation, lips parted to let his breath labor out with each stroke of Warrick's fingers.

 

"Now," Greg gasped, reaching down to pinch the base of his cock. So close already. If Warrick hadn't been so turned on, he would've been amused. Instead, he let his fingers slip out, framing Greg's hips in his hands as he helped Greg move back and lower himself onto Warrick's cock. Greg's thighs shook from the effort of taking it slow, a combination of exertion and impatience, Greg's head dropping back the moment his ass closed around the head of Warrick's cock. Warrick stroked Greg's hips soothingly, biting the inside of his cheek to distract himself from the temptation to come so soon. He wanted this to last, he wanted to savor it, and he wasn't going to let it be over before he was all the way inside Greg.

 

The warmth and texture were incredible, even with a condom. For a few moments, they both just hung there, suspended in the sensation they hadn't shared in months. It was one of those things that always felt good, but when they'd gone for so long without it, it felt even better.

 

Then Greg started to move. Slowly at first, his expression tight with concentration, his mouth slack with pleasure. Warrick would've kissed him if they'd been close enough. Closing his hands firmly around Greg's hips, he helped, guiding Greg as he rose and fell, rose and fell on Warrick's cock, tightening around him with every post.

 

As sweat built up on their skin, Warrick's fingers started to slip from Greg's hips, until all he could do was grip tighter and try to hang on. He started to thrust then, rising up to meet Greg's ass with his hips each time Greg came down, pulling out each time Greg rose up. Pain and pleasure contorted Greg's face, and Warrick was sure his looked the same way, finding pleasure in topping from the bottom because Greg was incredible no matter what he was doing.

 

It didn't take long for coordination to disappear, rhythm coming naturally as coherent thought faded away, replaced only by the need to thrust and touch, touch and thrust. Greg's fingernails dug into his chest, sure to leave impressions, maybe even bruises. Warrick thought of casting the impressions so he always had a reminder of Greg's touch even when he was dressed, and moaned out what was supposed to be a laugh at a thought that was so crazy he only thought it during sex. He'd tell Greg about it sometime and they'd have a good laugh about it, but right now, it seemed as sane as anything else.

 

Greg writhed above him, his whimpers growing deeper and more drawn out until they were moans. Those were what Warrick loved the best, Greg's long drawn-out moans interspersed with the hitching of his breath when Warrick's cock hit on Greg's prostate, bringing a flush to Greg's body but most obviously to his cock. Licking his lips, Warrick took his hand from Greg's hip to wrap around Greg's cock, and the room filled with Greg's unrestrained moans until Greg clenched tight around his cock and came, his mouth open silently as short ribbons of come splashed onto Warrick's fist and stomach and chest. Greg collapsed onto his chest and Warrick finally stopped holding back, his hips jerking up in a final thrust as he spilled into the condom, feeling Greg clench around him again, milking his aching cock.

 

His labored panting joined Greg's as they lay there, sweat from his neck making Greg's hair even damper. He ran his hand up and down Greg's back, riding through the aftershocks with him until his cock was too sensitive, and he grimaced a little as he slipped out, pushing himself up into a sitting position, settling with the slats against his back and Greg resting heavily against his chest.

 

Half an hour later, the alarm rang, but they both ignored it, holding each other for another fifteen minutes before surrendering to the mess and heading for the shower. They helped each other get clean, sharing a few lazy kisses before they got out, sated enough to keep their hands off each other so they could get ready for work in time.

 

Before they got dressed, they remarked on each others' bodies, Greg pointing out the fingernail impressions on Warrick's chest. "I should cast these," he joked. "Preserve 'em."

 

Greg laughed, running his fingertips over the marks, wincing a little in sympathy. "I love you," he sighed happily, "and look what I do to you."

 

Warrick grinned, trailing his hands down Greg's side to his hips. "I love you, and look what I do to you," he pointed out, tracing the semicircle of bruises with his thumbs. Greg just shrugged and smiled, leaning up for a brief, heated kiss before pulling away to get dressed.

 

"The things you do to me," Greg murmured when they walked out of the bedroom, and Warrick had to agree.


	32. Chapter 32  Revelation

  
Author's notes: Greg's pissed about the new lab tech, and thrilled about the news he can finally share with Warrick.  


* * *

Greg was agitated. He wasn't paying attention to the game. He kept losing, which was a sure sign that something was wrong because he usually kicked Warrick's ass at whatever they put in the Playstation. Something had Greg distracted, though, very distracted because when they'd met for lunch in the break room, Greg had drunk the office coffee. Without milk or sugar.

 

"ADHD coming back?" he joked, and was met with Greg's glare. Jokes like that didn't amuse Greg; they just pissed him off more. But at least they got Greg's attention, and that was what Warrick had been hoping for. Because Greg hadn't been with him all morning.

 

"They hired a new guy," Greg blurted out, instead of lecturing Warrick about how inappropriate a joke like that was. "You know how we always have temps? Not a temp this time. He's full time. And he's a total prick."

 

Warrick blinked slowly in response to Greg's choice of words. He never hesitated to speak like that, but it didn't sound right coming out of Greg's mouth. "He is, huh?"

 

"Oh, God. You haven't met him yet." Greg bounced up from his seat on the couch only to bounce back down, this time facing Warrick instead of the tv screen. Warrick'd never seen him this incensed. "He looked down his nose at me."

 

Warrick suppressed a smile. "Is he taller than you?"

 

Greg's mouth gaped open, and for a minute it seemed like he was going to get angrier. Instead, he laughed at himself, then repositioned himself against Warrick's side. Warrick slipped an arm around his shoulders, smiling as Greg nuzzled close. "I apologize in advance for you having to deal with him," Greg murmured. "Just remember he doesn't represent all us lab rats."

 

Leaning forward, Warrick clicked off the tv, then turned to Greg, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Trust me," he said, "only you can represent you."

 

***

 

It took a few weeks for Greg to get used to the idea of the new trace tech, Hodges. Greg still didn't like him, and over time, Warrick had come to understand why. Hodges was hardly the most pleasant person Warrick had ever met, and Warrick didn't blame Greg for not liking him. "At least you don't have to compete with him for popularity," Warrick pointed out, rolling away before Greg could pretend to smack him.

 

"Please," Greg said sarcastically. "I'm not afraid of a little competition."

 

"Right."

 

Greg pushed himself up on his elbow, narrowing his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"You don't like confrontations." Greg raised his eyebrows skeptically. "You try so hard to impress everyone, especially Grissom. And when you get nervous, you babble."

 

Greg gaped at him. Warrick frowned, unsure what he'd said to inspire that reaction, and then Greg shook his head. "I... I..."

 

"You...?"

 

"He said the same thing the other day."

 

He? "He he or he Hodges?"

 

Greg punched him in the arm. "He he," he clarified. "I don't give a shit what Hodges says. He said I babble when I get nervous. He he, not he Hodges."

 

"I think we've established that. And Greg?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"You're babbling now."

 

Greg grinned sheepishly. "I'm not nervous."

 

"No, you're not," Warrick agreed. He knew what Greg was like when he was nervous, and it wasn't like this. "You're excited."

 

"Nah, just hyper. Hey," he said, propping himself up on both elbows. "I told him what you said."

 

It had been over a month ago, so it took Warrick some time to remember what Greg was talking about. But only once had he said something specifically for Greg to tell his other boyfriend. "Yeah? What'd he say?"

 

Greg started settling down, his hyperactivity fading as he nestled against Warrick. "Well," Greg started, a soft smile on his face, "he wishes he could've had as much faith in us as you did."

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows, surprised. Greg knew almost as much about his doubts as Warrick himself did. The only thing he'd had faith in had been his feelings for Greg. "What made him think that?"

 

"Because he kept dating people and you didn't. He thinks it means you had more faith in our relationship." Greg brushed a kiss over Warrick's lips. "I just told him we all deal with the situation differently."

 

"You didn't tell him I kissed my friend?" He considered not bringing it up, but there really wasn't any reason not to. Once he started feeling the guilt of what he would've once thought of as cheating, it diminished the trust Greg had placed in him and the acceptance he'd gained of Greg's other relationship.

 

Greg's brows furrowed in confusion. "I thought he kissed you."

 

"He did, but I let him. And I kissed him back until he started talking."

 

There was no jealousy, no judgment on Greg's face, just understanding and a little amusement. "The talking always ruins it, huh?"

 

Warrick chuckled, deciding not to mention the conversation that had preceeded the kiss. It would only make Greg feel bad. "Talking is good sometimes," he murmured against Greg's lips. Greg smiled in agreement, the corners of his lips curling up in a somewhat wicked grin that reached his eyes. "I can't believe I didn't tell you that."

 

"What, that you kissed him?" Greg shrugged a shoulder, smiling lazily. "I think we were kinda distracted at the time."

 

Warrick flushed, remembering how he'd gotten turned on at the thought of Greg kissing Nick. He wasn't turned on now, but that was probably only because they'd worn themselves out that morning. "Yeah, maybe."

 

"Mmmhm," Greg murmured, trailing a hand down Warrick's side. "You never did introduce me to your friend."

 

Warrick still wasn't used to Greg flirting with unknown men. Technically, Nick wasn't unknown, except that Greg didn't know it was Nick. He knew it was harmless, that Greg wasn't really hoping to get laid by a stranger who'd kissed Warrick, but the thought was at the forefront, to be sure. "I haven't asked if he wants to meet you yet." Nick hadn't said anything about wanting to meet Warrick's lover either, but that was because Warrick hadn't brought it up. He'd done his best to hide Nick's identity from Greg and Greg's from Nick, and all because they worked together. If Nick had a different job, he'd probably have known that it was Greg long ago.

 

"Ask him," Greg said impulsively, wrapping his arm around Warrick's waist. "I just want to meet him. Thank him for kissing you so you'd kiss me. It changed everything," he reminded Warrick.

 

Warrick swallowed, looking hard into Greg's eyes. Greg knowing that it was Nick would change everything, too. "I don't know if that would be a good idea," he admitted. He saw the hurt look on Greg's face before Greg quickly covered it up, still learning the poker face, and Warrick knew he had to explain. "I don't know if it would be a good idea for someone at work to know about us." That was as much as he could say without revealing Nick's identity.

 

Greg's lips parted in surprise, his breath puffing against Warrick's mouth. "It's someone from work?" he asked, and Warrick nodded silently. "Does he, um, does he know I'm someone from work?"

 

Warrick shook his head slightly, his arms coming around Greg's waist to hold him close. "I've been very vague about who you are. I just told him about our situation."

 

"Oh," Greg breathed. "You told him I wouldn't kiss you," he remembered quietly. Warrick nodded. "I... damn." Greg closed his eyes briefly, his arms tightening around Warrick's waist. "Ricky, it's someone from work too."

 

Warrick wetted his lips nervously, staring into Greg's eyes. Greg's other lover was someone from work, too. What were the chances? The only men at work who weren't straight, as far as Warrick knew, were Bobby Dawson in ballistics, and... Nick.

 

No. He couldn't wrap his mind around that. Nick dating Greg? Nick being the other man in Greg's life, but hitting on him too? It hadn't been casual interest, either. Nick had made it clear that he wouldn't to anything to harm their friendship, nor would he disrespect the fact that Warrick was in love with someone else. Besides, if it was Nick, Nick would've known it was Greg he was talking about from the moment he'd said Greg wouldn't kiss him.

 

Oh. "Okay." If it was Nick, then Nick had known it was Greg all along, and he'd still pursued Warrick. If it was Nick, if, if... he couldn't let himself think like this unless he knew for sure that it was Nick, and he didn't know how to ask.

 

"Warrick?" Greg asked, and Warrick forced himself away from his thoughts to concentrate on Greg. "When I told him about you, at Christmas, he told me it was okay to tell you who he was if you wanted to know." Greg bit his lower lip, clearly nervous. But he wasn't babbling. Warrick could practically feel the beat of his heart, though, racing as fast as Warrick's was. Did he want to know? Did he want to not know?

 

"I don't know," he said, a phrase he hadn't been using as often lately. He couldn't think of anyone else it might be. Not the new guy Hodges; Greg hated him, and Warrick was pretty sure that wasn't just an act. Bobby? Bobby didn't seem like Greg's type. Grissom? He made Greg nervous, but that was just because he was Greg's boss. Right? Brass? No way. Although if Brass was the guy, it would be a true case of opposites attracting. Archie? It was possible, but he seemed as straight as Nick had used to seem. Then again, he'd been wrong about Nick, too.

 

"Okay," Greg said a little breathlessly, and Warrick could tell how hard Greg was trying not to just blurt it out. Warrick was amazed that Greg had been able to keep it a secret for as long as he had. He trusted Greg, that wasn't the issue; it was just that it was such a huge secret, especially since it was someone from work, someone Warrick probably knew.

 

"Okay," he said before he could change his mind, blinking in surprise at the sound of his own voice.

 

"Yeah?" The cautious hope on Greg's face was heartbreaking. "You want to know?"

 

"I don't know," he said with a nervous laugh, "but I want you to tell me."

 

Greg laughed breathlessly, his eyes sparkling as he looked into Warrick's eyes. At some point his hands had come up to rest against Warrick's chest, Warrick's arms still around Greg's waist, tension in each of their bodies, stability gained by their hold on each other. "It's Nick," Greg whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek and trailing over the bridge of his nose. He brought a hand up to wipe it away, the relief palpable as he sniffed back more tears.

 

Warrick couldn't say anything for what felt like forever. He knew it couldn't be that long, though, because Greg hadn't started to get worried yet. "Nick, huh?" Warrick was filled with conflicting emotions about the revelation. On the one hand, Nick must have known all along that Warrick was the other man dating Greg, but he'd still pursued Warrick. On the other hand, he'd done it in such a way that he hadn't pressured Warrick into anything. Besides the kiss - which would've been just after Nick probably figured out Greg was sleeping with Warrick, but before either of them knew that Greg was only seeing the two of them - Nick's pursual had been strictly verbal, and whenever Warrick had expressed discomfort, Nick had backed off.

 

What he didn't understand was why Nick wanted to date him, too. Nick already had Greg. Shouldn't that be enough? Warrick thought back to the kiss, to the things Nick had said...

 

Nick murmured something against his lips, but Warrick didn't hear him the first time. He was too hungry for the kiss, for the intimate contact he hadn't had with Greg in all the time they'd been sleeping together. Even the brush of Greg's lips against his was nothing compared to this.

 

That had been just after the first hopeful kiss from Greg. It had meant so much to Warrick, that display of affection, and Warrick's mouth went dry when he remembered the circumstances under which Greg had kissed him - he had just told Greg to go have fun with Nick, and Greg had kissed him for being him. Greg had kissed him after he'd freely told Greg to have fun with Nick, not knowing that Nick was the only other person Greg was sleeping with, the one other person that Greg was in love with. Greg had taken it as a blessing, which it was, and Greg had to have known that Warrick didn't mean it the way Greg wanted him to mean it. But it had been enough to give Greg hope that it might work, just like the brush of Greg's lips had been enough to give Warrick hope that Greg might be open to more intimacy like Warrick had so desperately wanted from him.

 

Nick was murmuring again, but this time, the words registered. He's not gonna change. Warrick didn't know why Nick was trying so hard to convince him that the man Warrick was dating wouldn't change; it couldn't just be that Nick was attracted to him. Nick was better than that. He wasn't that selfish.

 

He had been, Warrick realized now. Nick had even admitted it to him. He'd been selfish when he'd kissed Warrick because he'd done it for himself; because he was attracted to Warrick and the man Nick had fallen in love with had never been able to return that, either out of societal expectations or fear. Warrick hadn't realized at the time how right Nick was, or that the person who had held back from Nick was doing it at that time, not a decade ago when Nick had been in college. Nick had felt so strongly about it because it was happening to him right then. He'd been in love with Greg, but Greg wouldn't show any affection further than sex. Greg wouldn't kiss him. And the moment Warrick had said that the great guy he was dating wouldn't kiss him, even if Nick hadn't known it was Greg - he couldn't have known for sure, but he might have suspected - it still hit a nerve because Nick was experiencing the same exact thing Warrick had been experiencing.

 

Warrick broke the kiss, panting against Nick's mouth. "We're not talking about the same person," he reminded Nick gently, hanging on with his hands on Nick's shoulders.

 

Warrick shook his head, amused with himself. They had been talking about the same person, but at the time, he hadn't had a clue. Nick had a clue, but he hadn't had enough evidence at the time to be positive it was Greg. By now, though, Warrick suspected that Nick knew exactly who the other man was.

 

That seemed to sober Nick, but he didn't back down. His expression both concerned and determined, Nick brought his hands up to frame Warrick's face, capturing his complete attention. "You need to ask yourself a question," he said steadily. "And you need to think about the answer, and then you need to answer it honestly. Not to me; to yourself." Nick seemed to be searching his face, his eyes, for some answer. "Do you want to settle down just because you're at that point in your life, and he just happens to be the person you're dating right now? Or is he the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

 

Warrick realized now how Nick had known exactly what question to ask. It all made sense now. Nick had been dating other people, most recently, Lori Ann. Nick had to have asked himself those exact questions once he'd come to terms with the fact that Greg wouldn't come around and commit to him. Warrick had almost come to the same conclusion, but ironically, it was his conversation with Nick that had encouraged him to push them both to the next level of their relationship.

 

It was Nick's own discouraged disillusion - disillusion that Greg had been aware of because he'd told Warrick that his other boyfriend hadn't kissed him because he'd been disillusioned just like Greg - that had inspired him to kiss Warrick, someone he knew from Warrick's own words wouldn't reject it. Warrick had pretty much said that he wanted more than sex, that he wanted kissing, and Nick knew they were both in a relationship where they couldn't get that level of affection from their partner. Nick had come to terms with it and started dating other people; Warrick had taken a lesson from Nick's discouragment about what Warrick had assumed was a frat brother, not Greg, and applied it to furthering his relationship with Greg, which had allowed Greg to further his relationship with Nick, too.

 

Every piece of the puzzle of their three lives had come together to give all of them the benefit of their respective experiences, and allowed them to take what they wanted when otherwise, they would've spent the rest of their lives wanting what they thought they couldn't have.

 

"I don't know," Warrick whispered. He was with Greg; he cared about Greg. That was all there was to it.

 

He hadn't been able to answer Nick then; he'd always assumed that Greg was the one he wanted, regardless. He hadn't thought it was a question he had to ask.

 

"I know," Nick said gently, stroking his thumbs over Warrick's cheekbones. Warrick's eyes drifted shut. He was so tired, so confused. He didn't know what he wanted. Who he wanted. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here. When you know the answer," Nick continued softly, "you'll know what to do. If it's just that you want to settle down, and not necessarily with him, you have to move on. If it is him, Rick, and he doesn't change... I can be here when he doesn't give you what you need."

 

Warrick hadn't completely understood Nick's offer at the time, but he did now. That was what Nick meant about being selfish, and to be perfectly honest, Warrick couldn't hold it against him. Nick hadn't just offered to be there for Warrick because he'd known how it felt to be in that type of relationship in the past; he'd offered for himself because he was in Warrick's exact position at that very moment. It had been for both of them, so they could be with Greg as much as they could, and find affection and intimacy with each other.

 

Warrick's mouth went dry. If Nick had told him right then that he was with Greg in the same way, Warrick would've taken Nick up on his offer. But not the way Nick intended. He would've given Greg up to have everything with Nick instead of some things with Greg and some things with Nick. It had been a long and complicated road, but Warrick thanked God that he hadn't given up Greg, that he'd had the chance to allow himself to fall in love with Greg and to discover Greg's feelings for him.

 

"If he won't compromise, why should you have to?"

 

Because it wasn't about a compromise. Nick had answered that question for himself; because he'd thought that Greg was dating other people the way Warrick had, Nick had continued dating, probably spending empty days with men and women hoping that they'd replace what Nick really wanted with Greg. Nick had been in love with Greg, though, Warrick was sure of it. Otherwise he would've just left Greg and pursued Warrick alone. Warrick had no trouble believing that Nick had feelings for him, even though he knew now that Nick was in love with Greg. Why not? Greg was in love with two people, he was polyamorous. Maybe it was the same for Nick, even if he hadn't known what was happening at the time.

 

"I can't. It's the principle of the thing."

 

"If it's against your principles to be with other people, why were you just kissing me?" Warrick felt his temper flare at the accusation, and he started to pull away, angered that Nick would ask that kind of question when he'd been the one who initiated the kiss. But Nick just held on tighter, and didn't let him pull away. "And if it's against your principles to be with other people, and he does just that, then he's not living up to your principles. How is it okay for him to do something you won't do yourself?"

 

"I don't know," Warrick ground out, frustrated with Nick and frustrated with the questions he didn't have answers to. "I just can't."

 

Nick nodded slightly, offering Warrick a small smile. "It's because you love him more than you love yourself." Warrick started at that, words and ideas far stronger than he'd let himself think, never mind say out loud. But Nick was saying them. "It's okay," Nick said, a gentle smile on his face as he pulled back, running his knuckles down the side of Warrick's face. "You'll get used to the idea. And when you do, you can decide what to do."

 

That was why. That was why Nick had known. Nick had known that he was in love with Greg, and Nick had made his own decision. That's what it all came down to. Nick had been in love with Greg that long ago, and he'd made the decision to accept Greg's lifestyle even though it left Nick wanting more. Because Nick loved Greg enough to have Greg in his life in whatever way he could rather than not having Greg at all. Warrick hadn't known it at the time, but he'd made the same decision, albeit in a different way.

 

Knowing that it was Nick made everything fall into place. The first tentative kiss from Greg, the first - so far, only - hungry kiss from Nick, the questions, the advice, the way Nick wouldn't let him forget that Warrick was holding himself to one standard and Greg to another. Nick hadn't planned to give Greg up, and he hadn't been trying to get Warrick to give Greg up so that Nick could have Greg to himself. That would have been hypocritical of Nick, considering he wanted Warrick for himself, too.

 

Warrick looked down at Greg. He needed more information before he made assumptions about Nick's intentions. "How does Nick feel about the polyamory?"

 

Greg licked his lips nervously, his eyes wide like he was waiting for the boom to drop. "I told you, he was relieved."

 

Warrick remembered that conversation. Greg had said the other guy was relieved. At first Warrick had thought the other man hadn't known about Greg's other partners - he didn't know why, since Greg had always been so honest with him, but if he remembered correctly, they'd just had mind-blowing sex - and then Greg had revealed that the other man had known the same thing Warrick had. So, like Warrick, Nick had known all along that Greg was dating other people, and assumed it was several meaningless sexual encounters, and Greg's confession to them had clarified that there were only two men in Greg's life, and he was in love with both of them. "Oh," he concluded, "he was relieved there was only one other person."

 

"And that I was in love with both of you, yeah," Greg said with a nostalgic smile. "He was so happy. He hugged me so hard." Warrick smiled, easily picturing Nick gathering Greg in a bear hug, relieved that the man he'd thought would only ever have sex with him was actually in love with him. "You know," Greg said softly, stroking Warrick's collarbone, "I kinda expected him to react the way you did. I didn't think Nick would be okay with that."

 

Nick had obviously been okay with it, because it was after Greg's revelation that they'd both gotten a lot closer. "I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding," he murmured, stroking his fingers across Greg's lower back. Greg just smiled and shook his head.

 

"I get it," he said confidently. "I never thought it would work. My only hope was that you'd never asked me to stop dating other people." Greg sighed, but the dopey look on his face assured Warrick that it was a happy sigh. "I knew you wanted me to, and I wanted so bad to tell you that it was just you and Nick, that I didn't want anyone else. I didn't think it would be enough for you." Greg shook his head, watching his hand as it moved over Warrick's chest. "It wasn't until you kissed me that I started to hope it could work."

 

Warrick's smile matched Greg's, wide and awed with the way everything had turned out. And they hadn't even meant for it to. He had to tell Greg. There was no way he couldn't. "I wouldn't have kissed you if Nick hadn't kissed me first."

 

"I know, you already-" Greg's eyes widened and he sat up abruptly as Nick's name sank in. When Warrick told him before, he'd only referred to his friend. He'd never used Nick's name. "Oh my God," he said, "Nick was your friend."

 

"Is my friend," he clarified, grinning as he realized what that meant. He had faith in Nick and his intentions. Nick hadn't wanted to break them up and he hadn't tried to take advantage of them. He hadn't even suggested that they date until Greg had told him that there were only two of them. Nick had to have understood polyamory sooner than Warrick had. Not only had he understood it, but he'd wanted it for himself. And if Greg had said to Nick what he'd said to Warrick, that he only wished that the two of them could find happiness with each other the way Greg had found happiness with each of them, that had to have encouraged Nick just as much as Greg's kiss had encouraged Warrick to talk to Nick, just as much as Nick's experience had encouraged Nick to kiss Warrick, and just as much as Nick's kiss had encouraged him to kiss Greg. It was all a ripple effect, domino effect, but whatever you wanted to call it, it meant that everything had worked out better than it would have if they'd decided to take the easy way out. "I think he has a little crush on me."

 

"Oh my God!" Greg exclaimed, and Warrick had a feeling Greg hadn't heard a word he'd said. Greg was probably thinking back over the last few months like Warrick had been. "Holy shit. Oh my God."

 

Warrick laughed, amused and delighted. "You wanna go see him?" He had no idea where the idea came from, but it seemed only right that they let Nick in on what they knew. Warrick was just amazed that he wasn't freaking out over all this. He probably would after it all sank in, but right now, he was just as excited as Greg.

 

"Oh my God," Greg drawled, then nodded enthusiastically. Warrick grinned. "Yes. Now." Warrick shook his head slightly as Greg bounced out of bed, then raced right out of the bedroom. Seconds later, Greg came racing back in, panting as he hung onto the doorframe. "Aren't you coming?"

 

Warrick didn't bother to hide his grin when even his visual perusal of Greg's body didn't clue him in. "Well, I thought I might get dressed first," he commented, laughing out loud at the look on Greg's face when he realized he was naked.

 

"Shit!" he exclaimed, then rushed around and started to get dressed. "Shit, okay, can you call him to let him know we're coming over? What should I wear? What do you wear to do something like this? Do you think he's home? What if he's not home? Do we have any coffee?"

 

Warrick propped himself up on one elbow, smiling as he watched Greg's clumsy attempts to get dressed while rambling off a barrage of unrelated questions. Greg was a mess, but in a good way. As for Warrick... he was about on cloud nine.


	33. Chapter 33  Semantics

  
Author's notes: The three of them discuss the semantics of their relationship, among other things.  


* * *

Nick's cell rang eight times before he picked it up, then there was another beat before he answered, "Stokes."

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows. "This a bad time?"

 

Nick chuckled, sounding amused. "Never a bad time for you, Rick. What's up?" Another beat. "Dammit."

 

"What you're saying and what I'm hearing aren't the same thing." Warrick could only speculate as to what Nick was doing, so he didn't bother. They'd be at Nick's in fifteen minutes unless Nick was too busy for them to come over.

 

"Sorry." Nick sighed. "I'm tryin' to set up the big screen for Sunday and I don't think I'm gonna have enough room."

 

Warrick couldn't think of a better segue. "Maybe Greg and I could help you."

 

"I dunno, man," Nick muttered. "Unless you're planning to take out a wall..." His voice trailed off, and Warrick wondered if it had sunk in that Warrick had mentioned Greg too.

 

"Let us take a look," he continued. "I was calling to see if we could come over. We uh, have somethin' to tell you."

 

"You do." The clarity of Nick's voice made it sound like he'd stopped struggling with the big screen and was focused entirely on the conversation.

 

"Yup. It probably won't come as a surprise, but I'll let Greg tell you all about it."

 

It was a few seconds before Nick spoke again, and when he did, there was a smile in his voice. "I'll be here."

 

***

 

Greg was babbling nervously in the passenger seat, so Warrick reached over and took his hand, smiling sympathetically as Greg debated whether they needed a plan and what kind of plan to come up with or if it was better if they were spontaneous, and so on. Warrick was far more relaxed than Greg since he'd been the one to talk with Nick on the phone and was pretty certain that once Warrick had said he and Greg were coming over together, Nick knew exactly what they were going to talk about. He could've told Greg, but it wasn't like he'd get a word in edgewise.

 

Greg still didn't have a plan as they walked up to Nick's apartment, but he'd stopped babbling, his hand still clutching tightly to Warrick's. Just before they reached the door, Warrick leaned over, his lips settling over Greg's ear. "It's gonna be okay," he reassured him, squeezing Greg's hand. Greg took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

 

Warrick doubted Nick had tried to make any more progress on his project once he'd realized what they were going to talk about. He was at the door instantly, relief washing over his face when he took in their linked hands. Even though he'd had to be close to certain, he couldn't have any more doubts.

 

They didn't say anything at first. They just looked at each other, Nick looking from one to the other, both of them looking at Nick. Then Warrick stepped forward, tugging lightly on Greg's hand to get him to step over the threshold into Nick's apartment.

 

Warrick turned from closing the door to see Nick and Greg looking intently at each other, communicating with their eyes. Then, before Nick or Warrick could say anything, Greg reached up with his free hand to cup the back of Nick's neck, and pulled him into a deep kiss, his other hand still in Warrick's.

 

Maybe it was the emotion of the moment, but Warrick wasn't jealous, and he wasn't turned on, either. Even though the kiss was passionate, hungry, their bodies pressed flush together, it wasn't about sex and it wasn't about keeping Warrick out. It was a statement, just like the time Nick had kissed Warrick. It was Greg's way of telling Nick that Warrick knew, and a moment later, Greg's mouth was on his, kissing him just as hungrily as he'd kissed Warrick. He fell back a moment later, breathless, looking between his two lovers. "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that."

 

They both stepped closer to Greg at that, knowing it was about more than just a kiss, more than two kisses. It was about Greg being able to kiss each of them in front of each other without having to worry that one of them would be jealous or angry. Warrick stepped closer so he could hug Greg against him without pulling him away from Nick, slipping an arm around Greg's waist as he dropped a kiss onto Greg's temple.

 

"We've got a lot to talk about," Nick said, getting right down to business. "Who's working tonight?"

 

"I am, and I think Greg has the night off, right?" Warrick looked at Greg, who nodded.

 

"Well, I'm workin' tonight too, so we've got three hours." Nick sighed. "Workin' doubles all week so Gris'll give me Sunday night off."

 

Warrick smirked, noting with some amusement how easy it was to joke with Nick like nothing had changed. "Worked your charm on the boss man, huh?"

 

"I have Greg on speed dial," Nick quipped with a wink. Greg looked horribly confused.

 

"That threat was never any good, man." Warrick smiled, hugging Greg closer to him. "Greg already knows I like him."

 

"You guys are nuts." Before Warrick could make sure Greg wasn't taking their joking the wrong way, he'd gone in the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, and came out with two cans of beer, one each for Nick and Warrick. The three of them settled on the couch with Greg in the middle, the useless big screen blocking the regular television. Warrick could've said something about that, but he knew Greg was worried about how they were reacting to each other. So instead, he decided to explain.

 

"When Nick came out to me, I started hounding him about having a thing for Grissom." Before he could say more, Greg turned to look at Nick, effectively shielding his face from Warrick. He looked at Nick for so long that Warrick started to get worried.

 

Then Greg and Nick burst out laughing at the same time. "Oh God," Greg said brokenly, trying to catch his breath as he looked at Warrick again. "You thought... Nick and Grissom..." He cracked up again, burying his face in Warrick's shirt. Warrick exchanged a glance with a still-laughing Nick, trying to figure out if he should be amused or insulted. Probably both.

 

"You can't blame me for being observant," he muttered. "Nick's always following him around like a puppy and acting like his word is gospel..."

 

Greg sighed long and amused against Warrick's chest, shaking his head. Nick was the one who answered. "That's just good old-fashioned respect and admiration, man. The man's a genius."

 

"So's Greg," Warrick pointed out, raising an eyebrow when Greg's silent laughing stopped. Greg peered up at him from under his lashes, slowly sitting so he was between the two of them.

 

"You really think I'm a genius?"

 

"You're practically a card-carrying member of Mensa."

 

"That's a misnomer," Greg muttered. "Mensa doesn't give out cards anymore." Warrick exchanged another look with Nick. "Yeah, yeah, but no. They rejected me." Warrick wasn't sure what surprised him more - that Greg had tested, or that he'd been rejected. Probably that Greg had been rejected. "Then again, I was kinda distracted when I took the test."

 

"Boyfriend?"

 

"Girl, actually." Greg chuckled. "I know what you're thinking, but no. I've known I was gay all my life." Greg sighed, resting his head against Nick's shoulder and taking Warrick's hand in his. "This girl was so in love with me. I felt bad for turning her down just because she was female. I mean, I know I'm gay, but shouldn't I have at least given her a chance? Isn't that, like, sexist or something?"

 

Warrick frowned thoughtfully. Leave it to Greg to think sexuality was sexist. "What, you wanna be an equal opportunity dater?" With a white boyfriend on one arm and a black boyfriend on the other, Greg would certainly be a good poster boy for equal opportunity. Warrick knew Greg wasn't just dating both of them to have a representative from each race, of course, but he knew it could easily look that way. Not only that, but Greg was the one who despised jokes about any group of people, whether it was racist or 'ablist', which was what Greg called his comments about medication and ADHD. As far as Warrick was concerned, Greg was a little too concerned with being politically correct, but Warrick never said anything because it wasn't worth it to get into an argument. Even though half the time he said something like that, they were already arguing.

 

"No, it's not that. It's just... you have no idea how frustrating it is to fall in love with a straight guy."

 

Warrick chuckled quietly, smiling when he realized Nick was doing the same thing. Nick was the one who answered, his reply characteristically empathetic and logical. "It's frustrating, but you wouldn't want him to pretend to be something he's not and then find out he'd never fall in love with you, would you?" Greg shook his head soberly, and Nick slipped an arm around Greg's shoulders, his hand coming to rest by Warrick's chest. "It wouldn't be fair to you, and it wouldn't have been fair to her if you'd gotten her hopes up and led her on. Better to let her down from the start than hurt her even more later."

 

It struck Warrick just how easily they were talking about things he'd talk to Greg or Nick about alone, despite the fact that now they knew that each was Greg's lover. Unlike Greg, though, who had the night off, Warrick and Nick had a limited amount of time to discuss what really needed to be discussed, so he waited for a lull in the conversation to steer it back to the three of them.

 

"Where do we go from here?" he asked, his arm overlapping Nick's by now. Greg smiled up at him, looking perfectly content right where he was.

 

"This is amazing," Greg answered with a beaming smile. "You know how I said whenever I was spending time with one of you, I wished I could be with both of you? Now I have that." Greg reached for their free hands, piling them on top of each other. Nick and Warrick had to shift closer to Greg to accomodate the move, but neither of them minded.

 

"We can do this all you want," Nick was the one to reassure him, dropping a kiss onto Greg's lips. "What about sex?"

 

Warrick laughed a little uncomfortably, surprised Nick had been the one to bring that up. He hadn't considered that. Hanging out and talking was one thing, but Nick was right. What were they going to do when it came to sex?

 

"Well..." Greg bit his lip, looking between the two of them, searching for something Warrick didn't think he would find. "I guess we could save it for the times two of us have the same night off. That way no one would be left out."

 

It was just like Greg to suggest that, but there was one problem. Shared nights off were rare, and since the CSI schedule was different than the tech schedule, Nick and Warrick would have a shared night off more often than either of them would have a shared night off with Greg. Nick's and Warrick's nights off were based on when their cases were finished, and since they were assigned together more often than not, that meant they often had the same night off. Greg's nights off, on the other hand, were based on the load of evidence in the lab, although that might lighten up now that there was another full-timer.

 

"Let's play it by ear," he finally suggested. "At least at first. I think it's too soon to make any decisions like that."

 

"What do you really want, Greg?" Nick prompted, not giving Greg time to acknowledge what Warrick had said. Warrick bit his tongue, not wanting to start an argument.

 

"You know what I want," he muttered, then tentatively looked up at Warrick. Obviously, this was one thing Greg had discussed with Nick and not with Warrick. Greg took a deep breath, then answered Nick while looking into Warrick's eyes. "I want the three of us to spend as much time together as we can. And have sex," he added when it looked like Nick was about to prompt him again.

 

Warrick held onto Greg's gaze because he couldn't quite look at Nick right now. He knew very well that Nick had been the one he'd been thinking of when he got turned on by the idea of Greg kissing someone else. It was just difficult to admit, even to himself. And he had to be able to admit it before he tried to do it. "I've only ever done one-on-one," he admitted, thinking back to Nick's reasoning as to why it had been a good thing for Greg to turn down the girl right away instead of leading her on. There was no reason to get Greg's hopes up just to let him down, right?

 

Except that there was no guarantee that he'd be letting Greg down. Three months ago, they wouldn't have been having this conversation at all. Even though he'd accepted the fact that Greg was dating other people, he couldn't comprehend that love might be involved or that it was a legitimate relationship. His feelings on that had changed drastically. Who was to say his feelings about this wouldn't change?

 

"Besides, I've never had sex with Nick."

 

Cautious hope dawned on Greg's face. "There are lots of couples who bring complete strangers into their beds all the time," Greg pointed out. It was a good example, but just because some couples were okay with it didn't mean Warrick was.

 

"Yeah, but Nick and I aren't strangers, and which pair of us is the couple? You and me, or you and Nick?" The thought occurred to him that Nick and Greg had been planning this all along, that they'd started out as a couple with the plan to bring Warrick into it. Would he have objected to that? He didn't know. All he knew was that the situation didn't apply to them, because Greg had struggled with his feelings for both of them until he'd realized that affection would be freely accepted and even given, and that they might love him, too. Greg was in the middle, and neither Nick nor Warrick was on the periphery. "It's not like we're swingers or something."

 

Greg choked on a laugh. "Um, swingers are people who switch partners," he informed Warrick, as if he should've known that. Warrick just rolled his eyes.

 

"Semantics," he muttered. Nick disagreed with a shake of his head.

 

"It's a big difference," he said. "It's just about sex for swingers. Sometimes with strangers, sometimes with friends, but you can't compare it to what we have."

 

"I wasn't, I was comparing it to what Greg was describing. What do you call that?"

 

Greg was laughing out loud by now, clearly amused. "I never thought I'd hear you two talking about this unless it was about a case," he said with a grin. He sobered a bit, thoughtfully chewing on his lower lip. "Um, I think it's called a threesome. You know, three people having sex."

 

Now that it'd been pointed out that shy, conversative Nick was discussing different types of sexual relationships with old-fashioned, traditional Warrick, both were a little uncomfortable. Nick recovered first, nudging Greg. "Tell him what you call us," he prompted.

 

"Oh, yeah." Greg smiled up at Warrick, his upper body now relaxed against Nick's, his legs bent over Warrick's. "We're a triad."

 

"Not a love triangle?" he joked, expecting to be corrected as to what a love triangle was. Greg smiled softly, reaching up to take Warrick's hand.

 

"Okay, we are a love triangle," he allowed. "But only because you and Nick aren't in love yet. When that happens, we'll really be a triad."

 

Greg seemed pretty confident that it would happen. Warrick exchanged a glance with Nick, not ready to say it could happen, but not ready to say it couldn't, either. He'd been taking this whole thing pretty damn well.

 

"Triads have threesomes," Nick commented, making Greg snicker and Warrick blush. Okay then. Nick wasn't objecting to it. Apparently Warrick was the only one.

 

"Greg has voyeuristic fantasies." That was as much as he could contribute to the conversation. Voyeurism wasn't a threesome, it was watching two people having sex. Although, Warrick thought it could possibly turn into a threesome. He'd never really pictured what Greg had meant by 'watching', other than how it applied to Warrick being the one watched or Warrick watching Greg and his other lover, but now it occurred to him that it meant something much more involved.

 

"I know," Nick said with a wicked grin, causing Greg to blush this time. Warrick had a feeling Greg had described his fantasies to Nick in detail. "He has cop fantasies, too."

 

"Oh my God!" Greg blurted out, jumping up from his place practically on Nick's lap. "I'm sitting right here, you know!"

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows. "That mean you want us to discuss your fantasies when you're not here?"

 

Greg's cheeks reddened even more, but he didn't back down. "If it'll get you two having sex, I'm all for it," he grumbled. Warrick got the feeling Greg had been wanting a triad for quite some time.

 

"So wait," he said, wanting to clarify. "You wouldn't mind the two of us having sex when you're not there?"

 

Greg rolled his eyes. "You're finally catching on, Sherlock," he muttered. "And you call yourself a CSI."

 

Nick reached out for Greg, wrapping his arms around Greg's stomach and pulling Greg down into his lap again. "Remember, this is the guy who thought I was in love with Grissom," he pointed out. Warrick sent him a mock glare, which was received with a wink.

 

"Oh yeah," Greg remembered. "I think he should have his CSI III revoked."

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows, but a look at Nick showed no support. "And he should perform sexual favors on us to get it back?" he suggested.

 

Greg's blush was still there, along with a wicked grin. "I think he'd have to perform sexual favors on Grissom, actually." Warrick balked.

 

"You're the ones who're nuts," he said, and started to get up. He needed a refill on his beer.

 

"Hey," Greg protested, grabbing the back of Warrick's shirt. "Sit down, Ricky. I didn't mean it."

 

"Ricky," he repeated as he sat back down, thoroughly whipped by Greg. "You called me that before."

 

"Yeah," he said with a silly smile. "Nick calls you Rick, so I had to come up with something else."

 

Ah. "Rick was my deejay name in college," he explained. He still deejayed ocassionally, but not as often as he had in college. Nevertheless, the comment made Greg pop up from Nick's lap.

 

"You were a deejay?" he asked excitedly, grinning for a bit until he came to some realization and sank back against Nick's chest. "Bet you never deejayed at the kinda clubs I used to go to."

 

"Probably not," Warrick agreed. He winked at Nick, not letting Greg see. "I only deejayed at clubs where they had good taste in music."

 

Greg gasped indignantly. "Well, I never," he proclaimed, but he was smiling. Snuggling back against Nick, he tugged on both of Warrick's hands. Warrick consented to being pulled toward Greg, unable to stop the flush that came over his cheeks and neck when Greg kissed him slowly and thoroughly. "It means so much that you're here," he murmured.

 

Greg didn't have to go into any more detail for Warrick to know what he was talking about. Warrick was the one who'd resisted the triad - no, love triangle - the longest, and Greg was grateful that he'd even be discussing the possibility of sex between the three of them. It was significant that Warrick hadn't walked out, and that he'd come in the first place. He'd made a lot of progress in the past few months, all thanks to Greg and Nick.

 

"Only for you," he murmured against Greg's lips, then glanced up at Nick. He looked so happy. "And Nick," he allowed, smiling back when Nick smiled again. Greg was smiling, too, a big shit-eating grin, and it was enough for Warrick to take another significant step. He settled down with Greg, his back to Nick's chest, his chest to Greg's chest, Greg's back to Nick's thighs. He wouldn't do it for anyone but Greg, that was for sure. And if Nick hadn't been the other person, Warrick was pretty sure he wouldn't be doing it at all.

 

Greg shook his head, his eyes shining in amazement. "You're incredible," he murmured, then looked up at Nick over Warrick's shoulder. A moment later, Nick's hand came to rest on Warrick's side, and to his own surprise, Warrick didn't pull away.

 

"Matter of opinion," he said quietly, barely believing it himself. Greg shook his head.

 

"Matter of fact, Ricky." He pressed a smiling kiss to Warrick's lips, then pushed up, grunting a little in discomfort. "If we're gonna sit like this, can we do it in bed? This is uncomfortable."

 

Warrick opened his mouth to resist, not as willing now that he wasn't caught up in Greg's eyes, Greg's voice. To his surprise, Nick came to his rescue. "We gotta leave for work in a half hour, babe. I don't wanna risk us fallin' asleep."

 

Greg accepted Nick's excuse with a graceful smile, even though he had to know the real reason behind why it couldn't happen, at least not yet. "We can just talk some more, then," he decided with a nod, cuddling against Warrick this time. Warrick smiled. "Hey, after you go to breakfast, you wanna come by my place tomorrow morning?"

 

Nick chuckled, sending a cautious look Warrick's way. "Sure, but who said we were going to breakfast?"

 

"I did," Greg said boldly. "You asked Warrick out, and he never gave you an answer. And you," Greg continued, pulling back to look pointedly up at Warrick, "wanted to say yes, whether you'll admit it or not. You two are going out for breakfast tomorrow morning whether you like it or not, and then you're coming to my place. If you call it a date, fine, if you don't, that's fine too. But you're going to spend some quality time together before you come to see me." Greg spoke so authoritatively that it was hard to consider arguing with him.

 

"Alpha," Nick muttered cryptically, but Greg seemed to know what it meant because he grinned and shrugged. "Warrick?"

 

"Sure, I'll go to breakfast with you." Why not? They'd done it a million times before.

 

"Make sure Eric sends me some waffles and strawberries," Greg said with a smug smile.

 

By the time they'd discussed breakfast and decided that each would pay his own way, even Greg who wouldn't be there, it was time to leave for work. They each offered to drop Greg off at home, but he insisted on staying so he could clean up the mess he'd made with the coffee. Warrick walked out the door with a goodnight kiss from Greg, thinking that not long ago, it'd been Nick he'd kissed in this apartment, and Nick he'd wanted a goodnight kiss from because he'd never thought he'd get it from Greg.

 

Now it looked like he could get it from both of them if that was what he decided he wanted. Warrick shook his head as he walked down the stairs, leaving Greg and Nick to say goodnight alone. Warrick was more confused than ever, but he realized something else, too. He'd never been happier in his life.


	34. Chapter 34  Breakfast

  
Author's notes: Warrick and Nick discuss things over breakfast.  


* * *

Warrick knew it was going to be a long night at work. He didn't know what was going to happen at breakfast, if things were going to be different between them when Greg wasn't there. But he wanted to make sure Nick didn't spend the night worrying, so he waited for Nick to catch up to him in the locker room.

 

He was changed by the time Nick got there. Nick gave him a curious look, but didn't say anything, giving Warrick time to speak. Warrick leaned against his locker, looking at Nick across the short bench between them.

 

"I'm glad it's you," he said simply. It was vague enough that anyone overhearing wouldn't know what he was talking about, but Nick would know exactly what he meant.

 

Nick smiled, making the lines on his face more prominent, smile lines around his eyes and mouth. "I'm glad it's you too, man." He finished buttoning up his shirt, then stepped over the bench to join Warrick by his locker. They were still alone, so Warrick decided to ask something he'd been wondering about in the car.

 

"How long've you known?"

 

Nick chuckled quietly as he leaned back against the lockers. "Remember the day you told me he'd said there was only one other person, and I said you should date someone else?"

 

"You knew then?"

 

Nick shook his head. "That night. I went by your place to apologize, but I didn't go in because I saw Greg's car in the driveway."

 

"And later I told you I told him what you'd said," Warrick remembered.

 

"Yeah," Nick said with a grin. "That's when I knew for sure."

 

Warrick saw the door open in the mirror just before he heard footsteps. He and Nick stepped apart, leaving the locker room separately only to meet with Grissom in the break room for their assignments. They didn't see each other for the rest of the night, but Warrick was glad they'd had a chance to talk. He felt a lot better about the whole situation, and he was even looking forward to breakfast so they could talk some more.

 

***

 

"I wanted to ask if it was Greg so many times," Nick confided, looking up as the waiter delivered their breakfast. "Oh, hey." Nick smiled at the waiter. "Is Eric on tonight?"

 

"Yeah, you want me to get him?"

 

"Yeah, that would be great." Nick turned back to Warrick as the waiter left, shaking his head. "I could've sworn this was Eric's section."

 

Warrick raised his eyebrows. "Did you sleep with him too?" Greg and Eric had flirted so hard the first time he'd been to Antony's with Greg that he'd asked after they'd left, and Greg had admitted to sleeping with Eric on more than one ocassion. They'd met at a club, Greg had said, and Eric had been the one to tell Greg about Antony's. They still ate there all the time even though Warrick knew Greg had slept with one of the waiters. Eric had never been a threat to him.

 

"None of your business," Nick mumbled, which was answer enough for Warrick.

 

"You know," he commented, "I didn't think Eric was your type."

 

Eric was thin like Greg, but that was where the physical similarities ended. He presented himself the way Warrick was sure Greg would if he didn't have to maintain a professional appearance; he was always wearing a band shirts, like the ones Greg only wore at home, with leather cuffs on each wrist and sometimes on his upper arms too. He wore a different necklace every time Warrick saw him, sometimes hemp, sometimes shell necklaces, and once in a while, nothing but a strip of leather around his neck. He changed his hair often, the way Greg did, but he was particularly fond of the spiked mohawk, his hair dyed so black that only Greg, Nick, and whoever else had slept with him could know his natural hair color.

 

Nick shrugged. "Well, he's hot."

 

"My ears are burning." Eric grinned as he came up to their booth, dragging over a chair from one of the tables, setting it with the back against the edge of their table, his arms crossed over the back as he straddled it and looked at them both. "Where's Greggo?"

 

"At home," Nick answered. "He couldn't make it today but he was hoping you could whip up some waffles and strawberries for him."

 

"I'll bet." Winking, Eric pushed away from the table, putting the chair back as he took off to take care of the order. As much as he liked to flirt, Eric never lingered when he was on the clock. He was one of the most popular waiters at Antony's, and he had the tips to prove it.

 

Nick dug into his breakfast once Eric had left. Warrick was already halfway through his. They ate in comfortable silence, neither of them saying anything until Eric came back with Greg's to go box. "Give Greg a kiss for me," he requested, rolling his tongue and biting down on his tongue ring as he waited for Nick's answer. Warrick held back a grin at the blush on Nick's face.

 

"No doubt," Nick promised, watching as Eric swaggered away. Warrick bet Nick was wondering if he could tip Eric even though he wasn't their waiter.

 

"Greg know you still look at him like that?" he asked, skeptical that Greg would be all that happy if he knew how Nick was eyeing Eric.

 

Nick didn't guilty at all. He just laughed as he turned back to Warrick, his smile lines deeper than ever. "Are you kidding? Greg still looks at 'im like that, too."

 

Warrick hadn't known that. This wasn't just about Nick and Greg anymore; it was about Greg and Warrick. Greg still looked at Eric like that, even though he was in love with Nick and Warrick?

 

"Chill out, man. It doesn't mean anythin'."

 

Warrick blinked, leaving the temptation of jealousy behind. Nick could see right through him. "How can it not?" He had to be honest. He had to get Nick to understand that he didn't understand this at all.

 

"Everyone looks, Rick. Lookin' ain't touchin'." Nick shook his head. "You gotta lighten up, man."

 

Warrick steadfastly resisted the urge to make a sarcastic comment about being too dark. Nick wasn't being literal. "I don't know if I can." What if he couldn't? Every time things started to go well, there was another roadblock that made him realize he wasn't like Greg, no matter how hard he tried. What if it wasn't enough?

 

Nick was watching him closely, drumming his fingers lightly on the table. "You have high blood pressure, don't you?"

 

That was the last thing he was expecting to hear. "What?"

 

Nick smiled gently. "You get riled up so easy. I can't believe you don't have high blood pressure."

 

He was still confused, but he answered Nick anyway. "I don't know. I've never had it checked out."

 

"You should," Nick said seriously. He leaned across the table, putting his hand over Warrick's like he had a few times. "Look, I know it's a lot to ask, but I want this to work out. Greg and I both want it to work out. Can you just trust me, and give it a chance?"

 

"I am giving it a chance," he said with a frown.

 

"Greg was right," Nick said softly. "I didn't tell him what you said to me, but he saw it anyway. You're the one who said you got so upset about me asking you out because you thought you might want it."

 

"I don't think that's what I said," he argued half-heartedly.

 

"Maybe not verbatim, but trust me, Warrick, I know what you meant. You want it but you're just too scared to go for it. And you may not believe me, but I understand." Nick squeezed his hand.

 

"Really?" he asked. "You seem to be taking this all in stride."

 

Nick shrugged. "I was scared at first. I still am sometimes. But you know what, I realized something." Nick looked down at where their hands were together, smiling softly to himself. The look in his eyes was just as soft when he looked into Warrick's. "We see so much hate and death in our line of work. We gotta grab life and love when we find it, Rick, and if that means loving two people at once, so be it. This is one of those times you really can't get too much of a good thing."

 

Warrick's lips parted, but he didn't say anything at first. He'd never thought about it that way. "Multiply your love instead of dividing it," he murmured, remembering what Greg had said about a parent with many children. Across from him, Nick's smile widened, hope blossoming on his face.

 

"Exactly." Nick's smile was so wide it split his face, the pleasure in his eyes so sincere it was like Warrick had figured it all out. Warrick still felt lost, so far from where Nick and Greg were, but he was starting to understand how they could believe so strongly in this triad or love triangle or whatever they wanted to call it.

 

Warrick took a deep breath. "Okay," he finally said. "I'll give it a chance." Because maybe Nick was right. Maybe he hadn't really given it a chance.

 

"Good," Nick said quietly. "Because I've been wanting to kiss you again."

 

"Oh." That wasn't what he'd expected.

 

"But I'm not goin' to be the one to kiss you this time," Nick continued. "You'll have to be the one to start it."

 

Warrick stared down at the table, at Nick's hand covering his. Nick really was okay with it, moreso than Warrick ever thought he would be. Nick wanted it as much as Greg did, but he was still determined not to push Warrick too far.

 

He never did answer Nick. Just gave him a weak smile before paying his part for the breakfast, taking Greg's waffles under his arm and to his car. Nick was so understanding, he'd understand that Warrick wasn't ready to give him answer yet. He'd understand that Warrick wasn't ready to kiss him again yet, that he might never be. But Nick had made it known that he wanted it, and if Warrick wanted it too, it wouldn't be rejected.

 

He thought he'd been confused the night before, but that was nothing compared to how he felt on the drive to Greg's. The difference was that now, he was doubting himself more than he was doubting the situation. Why was he resisting so hard? What was so bad about being with both Greg and Nick?

 

Because he had to concede that they both had a good point. Why should he have to limit his love to one person? Why not multiply it, take as much love as he could when their jobs were dedicated to putting people away for crimes based on hate, greed, jealousy, anger, and a multitude of other innumerable motives?

 

Nick was right about at least one thing. Warrick's temper was easily aroused, and it had gotten more difficult to keep his heartrate down since he'd fallen in love with Greg. He couldn't change the situation with Greg, and he didn't want to. But he could try to change the way he reacted to every speedbump.

 

By the time he pulled up to Greg's, he had an appointment to have his blood pressure checked. He knew that it was possible nothing would come of it, but at least he was acting instead of reacting for once.


	35. Chapter 35  Plans

  
Author's notes: Greg explains the ideal gas law.  


* * *

It was a relief to see Greg. Nick was a few minutes behind him, so Warrick had a rare moment alone with Greg. He took advantage of it by immediately closing the door behind him, setting Greg's breakfast on the table by the door along with his keys so he could take Greg in a warm embrace.

 

"How was your night off?" he asked, smiling as Greg leaned into him and brushed their lips together.

 

"Lonely," Greg said with a cute pout that Warrick just had to kiss. Greg smiled, leaning up to nip at Warrick's lips. "How was work?"

 

"Hmm," he murmured thoughtfully. "B and E with Cath. We got a few leads but no damning evidence yet." Wrapping his arms around Greg's waist to pull him close, Warrick sucked Greg's lower lip into his mouth, wishing they had more time alone so he could take Greg to bed. They didn't have that time, though, so he kept talking to keep himself from getting too caught up in the kiss. "Hope you're on tonight, cuz Hodges isn't bein' any help."

 

Greg grinned wickedly against his lips. "Sorry," he murmured, not sounding sorry at all. "I'm off tonight too. But I'll be there day after tomorrow," he promised.

 

"Hope so," he repeated with a smile. "What about Sunday night?"

 

"What's Sunday night?" Greg asked innocently. Warrick raised his eyebrows, looking behind him when Greg reached around for the door. "We have company," Greg whispered, smiling and kissing Warrick's cheek before Warrick moved out of the way. Greg opened the door, falling back with an 'oomph' when Nick burst in and picked him up in a hug. Greg wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, laughing delightedly. "Miss me?"

 

"You know it," Nick replied, swinging Greg around and then sobering when he noticed Warrick. Nick dropped a kiss on Greg's forehead, saying it was from Eric as he slipped an arm around Greg's waist. He seemed distracted, though, staring at something over Warrick's shoulder. "What...?"

 

"You like it?" Greg asked with a grin. Warrick turned around to see what they were talking about. For the first time, Warrick noticed the big screen that had been taking up space in Nick's apartment last night. Only now it was in Greg's living room, hooked up to a state-of-the-art sound system.

 

Nick stepped into the living room, taking in everything Greg had set up while he and Warrick had been at work. "You didn't have to do this, babe," he said, sounding awed. "You do realize..." Nick paused, looking a little uncertain. "You do realize it's not just gonna be me and Warrick, right? I invited some of the guys from work."

 

Greg nodded soberly. "I figured that was the plan. It's okay." Greg smiled. "I mean, as long as it's okay with both of you to have the party here. You can just tell 'em you didn't have enough room in your apartment and I offered cuz I have a bigger living room and besides I mean it's been a while since I've had a party..."

 

Nick smiled skeptically. "Have you ever been to a Superbowl party?"

 

"Cha, yeah," Greg scoffed. "I did grow up in America, you know."

 

"Right." Nick surveyed the room again, shaking his head slightly. "You know, it's gonna be people from work..."

 

"I know," Greg said softly. "I'll behave, I promise."

 

Warrick observed the entire conversation silently, watching the exchange between the two of them. Greg had transported a television from Nick's apartment without asking, and presumably bought the sound system, all the time assuming that it wouldn't be a big deal for Nick to tell his guests they were going to Greg's place instead of his. And the only thing Nick was worried about was whether or not Greg had ever been to a Superbowl party, and if he was willing to act like they weren't boyfriends in front of their coworkers.

 

They spent the rest of the morning enjoying the new big screen, which, Nick revealed, he'd rented for a week. Greg sat in the middle, the to-go box in his lap until he finished and set it on the coffee table, leaning back with a contented sigh and covering his stomach with his hands.

 

Warrick spent the better part of the morning trying not to wonder what the sleeping arrangments were going to be. Even though he knew Greg and Nick would be glad to have him in bed with them, Warrick knew he couldn't stay if Nick did. He didn't want to be responsible for making Nick leave, though, or making either of them uncomfortable by disappearing. That was one of things he hadn't considered when he'd agreed to come to Greg's this morning.

 

Warrick wished he could give Greg everything he wanted, wished he could be as open-minded as Nick. He'd promised to try, but he could only do so much. The rest was just going to take time.

 

***

 

Nick and Greg seemed to have come to a silent agreement not to pressure Warrick. It could have been something they decided last night at Nick's or this morning on the cell, or it could have just been that Nick was determined not to pressure Warrick and a night alone to think had made Greg realize that it would take more time for Warrick. However it had happened, they were both leaving him alone, Nick sitting on the other side of Greg, Greg doing nothing more than holding Warrick's hand, and every once in a while, cuddling closer to Warrick.

 

Warrick risked a glance at Nick, who was relaxed and watching tv, one hand holding a beer, his other hand on Greg's knee. Warrick was sure that if he hadn't been there, Nick's hand would've been on Greg's thigh. Maybe they would've even been having sex by now. If Nick weren't there, Warrick would've been in the bedroom with Greg a few minutes after he'd gotten in the door.

 

There was more to their relationship than sex, of course, but Warrick couldn't get Nick's question from last night out of his mind. That had to be the reason he was reluctant to get in bed with both of them, because the action was connected to sex.

 

It was the only thing that made sense because he knew that if they fell asleep on the couch together, he wouldn't have a problem with that. Greg in the middle, falling asleep out of sheer exhaustion; hell, even if it were just Nick, Warrick could see himself falling asleep with Nick. They were friends, they were more than that, but they could sleep together without having sex. Whatever else happened with Nick would have to happen much more slowly.

 

Warrick slipped an arm around Greg's shoulders, letting Greg rest against his chest rather than his shoulder. Greg lifted his legs from the floor and Nick helped him, curling his hand around Greg's ankles to pull them into his lap. Warrick looked down at Greg, knowing it was his turn to take the next step.

 

He knew this couldn't be any more comfortable for Greg than last night when he'd suggested they move to bed. He also knew Greg wasn't going to make that suggestion again, because he knew Warrick would object, or Nick would say something to get Warrick out of doing it.

 

Warrick smiled down at Greg, stroking his fingers through Greg's hair. He could do it. He could try, like he'd told Nick he would. "Hey," he murmured, waiting for Greg to turn his head and look at him. "Ready for bed?"

 

Greg nodded sleepily, smiling as he slipped off the couch legs first before he stood. He reached for Warrick's hand, pulling him up from the couch, then gave him a gentle, almost chaste kiss, pulling back with a smile to reach for Nick's hand. It was a reminder that it wasn't just him and Greg any more; Nick had to factor into his decisions, too. Warrick mourned a little the loss of having Greg to himself, but they still had their nights off together. He'd get used to it. Maybe he'd even come to enjoy having Nick with them. It would take a lot of time and determination, but he'd do it for Greg.

 

Nick and Greg were standing with their foreheads pressed together. They were both the same height, so they were eye-to-eye. Nick's lips were moving. Warrick dropped his gaze and looked away, leaving them to their private moment. What happened next surprised him more than anything else.

 

"You don't have to do that, Nick."

 

"I do." Warrick looked up to see Nick cast a furtive glance at him, then turn back to Greg, hugging Greg close to him as he pressed his face against Greg's, effectively blocking his lips and voice from Warrick's sight and hearing. Greg's face paled a little but he nodded, stepping back with a brave look on his face.

 

"Okay," he agreed with a nod, glancing briefly at Warrick. "What should I...?"

 

Nick smiled gently, first at Greg, then at Warrick. He took Greg's hand and walked with him to the front door, murmuring something in Greg's ear. Greg nodded, watching Nick as he sent a friendly wave Warrick's way, then kissed Greg goodbye and walked out the door.

 

Warrick had no idea what had just happened.

 

But Greg was standing by the door, looking deflated, regretful. So Warrick went to him, wrapping his arms around Greg from behind. "You okay?"

 

"Yeah," Greg assured him, his voice steadier than Warrick would have expected. Greg turned around to give him a weak smile, wrapping his arms around Warrick's waist. "He's not ready," Greg explained.

 

He wasn't ready? Nick wasn't ready? After all the encouragment he'd given Warrick about giving it a chance, about taking all the love you could find? Nick wasn't ready to sleep with him? Warrick shook his head, trying to put it all together.

 

"You mean if I'd said I wasn't ready, you would've let me go?"

 

Greg looked confused. "It's only temporary," Greg said. "He's just leaving for the day. We're still going to hang out together and stuff when you're here, and do... other stuff when you're not." Greg grinned sheepishly. "You think I'm gonna drag both of you into bed just because you know about each other?"

 

Warrick's jaw dropped. "But you said..."

 

"I said what I want, yes." Greg's smile looked more amused than anything else. "But that's an ideal, Warrick. It's what I want when everything else works out. But I know that gaseous molecules have mass."

 

Warrick blinked. "What?"

 

"You know, the ideal gas law. It's an approximation because it assumes that gaseous molecules have no mass and no volume. But we all know that's not true."

 

"Of course," Warrick agreed, even though he had no idea what the hell Greg was talking about.

 

Greg smiled. "It's an allegory. See, the ideal gas law is ideal instead of real because of the assumptions it makes about gases. The idea of the three of us having a triad is ideal, not real, until you and Nick don't have mass or volume. Or, until the two of you get comfortable enough with each other and with the idea of a triad that you're ready to take the next step. I know you're not ready for that, but it doesn't hurt to know what I eventually want out of this relationship, right?"

 

Warrick wished Greg had cleared that up last night. "I can't believe Mensa rejected you," he muttered, rolling his eyes at Greg's amused chuckle. "All right, let's go to bed. Some of us have to work tonight."

 

"Yes, Master," Greg said with a wink, then raced off to the bedroom. Warrick wasn't sure how to interpret that coming from his politically correct boyfriend, so he shrugged and followed Greg to bed.

 

It could've been worse. Greg could've been a lot less understanding. The disappointed look on Greg's face after Nick left still stuck in his mind, making Warrick wonder if Greg was as okay with it as he acted.

 

He wouldn't blame Greg for being frustrated, though. Greg had a picture in his mind of what he wanted, and he knew he might never have it, knew that if it ever did happen, it would be far into the future. Warrick recalled the dream Greg had shared with him, of growing old with his loved one and having kids, and realized that it was probably really a dream of being with his loved ones instead of one. Greg knew what he wanted, and he was going after it; but he also knew he wasn't going to get it right away, and as disappointing and frustrating as it could be sometimes, Greg was wise enough to know that the wait would be worth it.

 

And maybe it would. Even though he didn't know how everything was going to turn out, Warrick felt a whole lot better knowing he wasn't the only one who wasn't ready, and he wasn't the only one who wasn't frustrated. They all had roadblocks to conquer, and there was no one better to do it with than Greg and Nick.


	36. Chapter 36  Communication

  
Author's notes: Nick breaks the news about the new location of the Superbowl party, and Warrick and Greg have a serious talk.  


* * *

Over the next few days, Nick reiterated invitations to the Superbowl party he'd been planning to host, letting those invited know that Greg had offered the use of his house since there was more room. Warrick and Nick were assigned to the same case, so they decided there was little risk to Warrick being there when Nick explained the new location. Nick would do all the talking, since he'd been the one to plan the party and would've been hosting if his apartment was big enough.

 

Archie looked up from the computer screen where he was reconstructing a digital photo that had been manipulated. "Thank God," he said with a grin. "I knew we couldn't all fit in Nick's apartment."

 

"Why didn't you say anything?" Nick asked, and Archie shrugged.

 

"My apartment's not much bigger. Never been to Greg's place, though. Hope it's bigger than your hole in the wall."

 

Nick snorted, while Warrick wondered when Archie had been to Nick's apartment. "His living room's bigger than my whole apartment. No worries." Nick gave Archie a friendly clap on the shoulder, then looked up at the digital reconstruction. "The pixel density is different there, isn't it?"

 

***

 

Catherine smiled knowingly at Nick, but if Nick noticed, he didn't say anything about it, and neither did Cath. "That'll be fine." She looked over at the lab where Greg was preparing a sample for the mass spec, and chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. "You guys don't mind if I bring Lindsey, do you?"

 

Nick and Warrick glanced at each other, conscious of the fact that the question had been addressed to both of them. "Uh, that should be fine," Nick said. He didn't ask if Lindsey liked football, probably because he knew the only reason Cath would ask would be because Eddie wasn't taking Lindsey for the weekend. Warrick would bet money that Eddie wanted to watch the game with his buddies and his girlfriend, and no kids. Asshole.

 

"Let Greg know so he can decide what to do about drinks," Warrick warned. Even though Greg only drank coffee, Warrick knew most of them would be wanting to drink beer, but they might want to think twice if a ten-year-old was going to be joining them.

 

"I will," Cath agreed with a nod. "I gotta check up on my semen sample anyway."

 

***

 

"I thought Greg was sleeping with Warrick, not Nick," Sara said sarcastically. The comment cut a little close to home for Warrick to come up with a retort right away. Fortunately, he was saved. And not by Nick for once.

 

"What do you care, you're not even going," Jacqui commented. When Sara had been invited, she'd accepted at first. That was, until she discovered that Grissom had declined his invitation, and then Sara had made excuses about having to catch up with her journals.

 

"Just trying to make conversation," she said with a casual shrug, smiling sweetly at both of them. Warrick smiled sweetly back, waiting until she was gone to roll his eyes.

 

Jacqui glanced up at both of them, hesitating before she spoke. "It doesn't bother you when she talks about you like that?"

 

Nick shrugged easily. "It's just words," he said with a charming smile. "No reason to get upset."

 

Jacqui nodded, glancing between the two of them before she spoke again. "So - and this is confidential..." Warrick held his breath, wondering if she'd figured it out. "You don't think Greg would mind if I brought my girlfriend?"

 

Warrick laughed in relief. "I don't think he'd mind at all," he answered, forgetting that Nick was the one who was supposed to do the talking. Maybe Jacqui hadn't noticed, though. Warrick cleared his throat, trying to make up for it. "But uh, you better ask him," he said with what he hoped was a convincing nod.

 

Jacqui smiled, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I will."

 

***

 

"Shit!" Warrick aimed his fist at the locker, but never connected because Nick grabbed his arm before he could.

 

"Take a chill pill, man," Nick said, way too calm. "She doesn't know."

 

"How do you know?"

 

"Does it even matter?" Nick shook his head, a baffled smile on his face. "She has a girlfriend. I don't think she'd care if you have a boyfriend. Or if I do, for that matter."

 

"But we were both-"

 

"Rick," Nick said firmly, tightening his grip on Warrick's wrist. "Unless you're looking for it, that kinda relationship isn't obvious. Okay?"

 

Warrick took a deep breath, dropping onto the bench. "Maybe this was a bad idea." He didn't mean the relationship, even though he still had his doubts. He was talking about moving the party to Greg's place. It was too obvious.

 

Nick shook his head, but Warrick wasn't convinced that Nick was any more certain than he was. "We're all friends here, Warrick. No one cares except Sara, and she's just lonely. As long as Ecklie doesn't find out, we're fine."

 

"What if he does find out?"

 

"Then we deal with it when it happens. Look, there's no point worrying about something that hasn't happened yet."

 

Warrick sighed. "We have to be careful, Nick."

 

"I know," Nick said softly. At first it looked like he was going to sit beside Warrick, but then he stood up again, probably having second thoughts. "Look, I'll tell everyone else on my own, and on Sunday, we won't sit together. Deal?"

 

"Deal," he agreed half-heartedly, not convinced.

 

***

 

"You okay?"

 

Warrick turned into Greg's arms, closing his eyes. It was Saturday morning, his day alone with Greg. Nick had been with him after Warrick had split yesterday, and Saturday was Warrick's turn. "Nick and I had a close call last night," he said. "Sara said she thought you were sleeping with me, not Nick, when Nick told her the party was at your place."

 

Greg licked his lips nervously. "You think she really thinks that?"

 

"I don't know," he said honestly. "She noticed you were wearing the same clothes one night after you spent the day with me, and she put it together with the night I was wearing the same clothes after spending the day with Nick."

 

Greg swallowed. "What?" He pulled back, out of Warrick's arms, and Warrick regretted saying anything even though he hadn't meant anything by it. "You said you didn't sleep with Nick."

 

"I didn't," Warrick rushed to reassure him, praying that Greg would believe him. "The day he kissed me, after we talked, it was late, and I was too tired to drive. So Nick let me stay on his couch."

 

Greg didn't look convinced. "Why didn't you call a cab?"

 

He'd almost done that. Why hadn't he done that? "I live on the other side of Vegas, Greg. That would've been at least another hour when I could've been sleeping, and besides, Nick had a place for me to sleep. Why waste the money?" Why was he defending himself to Greg? Greg was the one who'd been the one sleeping with both of them all along. He didn't have to prove he hadn't slept with Nick.

 

"I can't believe you spent the day in Nick's apartment without having sex with him. How is that possible?"

 

Warrick couldn't tell if Greg was joking or not, but he didn't feel like joking that Greg was biased. He was just pissed off. "I don't know, Greg. Maybe I just know how to be friends with someone without sleeping with them."

 

Warrick pushed out of bed, not letting himself look at Greg because he knew if he did, he'd see the hurt look there and he'd be forced to apologize. He was not going to apologize.

 

"Is that really what you think of me?" Greg's voice was broken. He was probably crying. Always crying about something. Warrick turned around to look at him, hardening his emotions against the hurt look crumpling Greg's face.

 

"I'm going to sleep in the spare room," he muttered, reaching down to pick up his boxers. A second later something hit him, and he reached back to catch the pair of jeans Greg had thrown at him, ducking when his shirt followed.

 

"Don't bother," Greg shouted. "I want you out of my house."

 

"Greg..."

 

"Get out!"

 

Warrick stared, unable to believe what he was hearing. Yeah, he was pissed, but that didn't mean he was just going to walk out. "You don't mean that."

 

"Yes I do!" Greg marched over and started shoving at Warrick, trying to push him out of the doorway. Warrick didn't budge, and after several failed, most likely half-hearted, attempts, Greg gave up, looking helplessly at Warrick.

 

"I just want to know what gives you the right to be mad at me," Warrick said. "I didn't sleep with Nick, and even if I did, it's not like you're a model of monogamy."

 

Greg looked hurt. "I don't care if you slept with him or not," he insisted. "I just don't want you to think you have to lie to me about it." Greg really seemed to believe that.

 

"I haven't lied to you about a damn thing."

 

"I know that now." Warrick didn't know how Greg could say that, when just a second ago he'd insinuated that Warrick had lied to him about sleeping with Nick, but he waited for Greg to continue. "I just, it seems like no matter what I do, no matter how much you seem to understand, you keep acting like this."

 

"Like what?"

 

"Like it's not okay. Like you don't respect that I'm in a relationship with both of you, like... like you don't respect me."

 

Warrick studied Greg closely, shocked that Greg felt that way. "That... that's what you were so mad about? Not that you thought I slept with Nick?"

 

Greg nodded, his face carefully composed. Damn. Warrick had no idea his monogamy comments had that kind of effect on Greg.

 

He had to make this right. Dropping his clothes, Warrick offered his hand to Greg, relieved when it was accepted. They walked to the bed together and sat on the edge, facing the fish who were swimming peacefully, oblivious to the tension that had been in the room. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, looking into Greg's eyes. "I do respect you. I don't think any less of you because you're with both of us." He reached up to touch Greg's cheek, smiling when Greg turned into his touch and put his hand on top of Warrick's. "It just goes against everything I've known all my life. I've had a month to get used to something I've been taught for thirty-two years was wrong. But I'm trying, Greg. I really am."

 

Greg let out a breath, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Warrick's. "I know you are," he said softly. "I should be more patient."

 

"Are you kidding?" Warrick's smile widened as he stroked his thumb over Greg's cheekbone. "You've been incredible. I can't believe you didn't try to kick me out sooner."

 

Greg blushed. "Well, when you put it that way," he said with a smile. He took a shaky breath, then scooted even closer. "I'm trying so hard. I know you are, too. And so is Nick," he added hesitantly.

 

"We are," Warrick agreed. "And it's okay. I don't mind if you want to talk about him."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Yeah." Warrick smiled at the hopeful look on Greg's face. "I'm just worried about how we're going to keep it secret at work."

 

The fight was over. Their first major fight was over and done with and Warrick was so relieved he thought he might pass out. He was just glad he'd stayed to talk it out instead of listening to Greg and going home. That was one good lesson from his grandmother - never leave a room angry. Well, he'd been going to leave the room, just not the house. But it was still good advice.

 

"We'll just have to be careful," Greg said seriously. "And always have a change of clothes," he added with a sheepish smile.

 

"No doubt." They shared a lazy, lingering kiss before crawling back under the covers, holding tightly to each other. They weren't about to take each other for granted.


	37. Chapter 37  XXXVII

  
Author's notes: Greg hosts a Superbowl party. Sort of.  


* * *

Greg got out on time, leaving instructions for the tech from days who would take over for him promptly at ten o'clock. Greg usually stayed long enough to finish with all the evidence so there wasn't a backlog, but since he was hosting the party, he made sure he clocked out on time.

 

Nick and Warrick weren't about to sign their case over to days, Superbowl or no Superbowl. If it were closer to one, Warrick knew they'd reconsider, but they managed to tie up all the loose ends on their case before noon. They'd finished their case and scored the night off, which meant they could relax and actually enjoy the game.

 

By the time they showed up at Greg's, the front room, living room, and kitchen looked more like a sports bar than Greg's home. Greg had gone all out, but given the way he loved to present his results in the lab, it wasn't a surprise. Greg loved giving a presentation, whether he was presenting a DNA match or a party.

 

The fridge was stocked full of snacks and cold drinks, everything under the sun that didn't contain alcohol. Cath must've talked to Greg about Lindsey being there. Warrick was sure Greg had been more than glad to comply. It would've been more of a compromise for him to spend money on beer. Not that Warrick, Nick, Archie, or any of the other guests would hesitate to put up the money.

 

The dramatic transformation of the front room and the fresh pot of coffee on the counter indicated that Greg had been around, but he was nowhere to be found. Warrick walked into the pantry to get out the chips and dip, only to collide with a woman he'd never seen before.

 

"Sorry!" she laughed, whipping around to face him, a mass of dark curls flipping over her shoulder. "I'll get out of your way." She scooted past him without introducing herself, and Warrick mentally shrugged, figuring it was one of the guests.

 

Shortly thereafter, Warrick emerged from the pantry with four varieties of chips and three dips, almost crashing into Nick by the coffee pot. "Sorry," Nick said with a laugh, taking the dips from Warrick's hands. "Need some help there?"

 

"I'm good," he managed, attempting to hold all the chips securely without crushing them. He didn't think he succeeded, given the ominous crunching sounds he could hear. "I'm gonna put these out on the coffee table. Hey, have you seen Greg?"

 

Nick shook his head as they walked to the living room together, depositing the chips and dip on the coffee table. "Tina said he had to run to the store. Apparently we don't have enough ice cream."

 

"Ice cream? Why do we need ice cream?"

 

Nick shrugged. "I dunno. Anyway, Archie called to say he's gonna be late. He said to start without him."

 

"I'll let the Raiders know," he said dryly.

 

Nick laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "I shoulda told him that."

 

"You talked to him?" Warrick hadn't thought Nick and Archie were all that close, but between this and knowing he'd been to Nick's apartment, Warrick was starting to wonder. He'd assumed Archie was invited because as a lab tech, he was one of Greg's peers, but Nick was acting like Archie was his own guest.

 

"Yeah, he called me on my cell to let me know. He still considers me the host since I planned it."

 

Warrick decided not to comment. It wasn't unheard for a CSI and a lab tech to be friends. After all, he and Greg had been friends before they'd been lovers, although Warrick doubted that Nick and Archie were, or ever would be, lovers. And he doubted he was going to say anything to Nick or Greg, because he didn't feel like being laughed at the way they'd laughed when he revealed his suspicions about Nick and Grissom.

 

The front door opened, revealing Greg and Cath carrying grocery bags. Neither of them were opening the door, though. It was Lindsey, holding the door open for Greg and Cath until they were inside. Then she raced inside and beelined for Warrick.

 

"Hey, kiddo," he said as he picked her. "Aren't you getting a little old for this?" he teased.

 

Lindsey scowled, and started struggling to get down. Warrick complied. "You sound like Mom."

 

Warrick held up a hand, silently laughing at the amused look on Cath's face. "No more," he promised solemnly, glancing up at that moment to see Greg watching him. It was the same expression Greg'd had at Christmas after he'd greeted Lindsey at Cath's house.

 

The look made sense now. Greg's expression was tender and wistful, and Warrick was pretty sure he knew what Greg was thinking. Greg was probably thinking of him as a father. Warrick smiled softly at Greg from across the room, everything going quiet for a second. Then the cacaphony of the party returned in full swing, with Greg on his way to the kitchen to put everything away with Cath.

 

Warrick shook himself. He couldn't look at Greg like that in front of people from work. Greg couldn't look at him like that, either. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice, too caught up in their own chaos.

 

That had been a close one. Warrick would have to be more careful.

 

***

 

Jacqui had said that the nature of her relationship with Tina was confidential, but she didn't seem to be trying to hide how close they were. They sat together, talked mostly to each other, and touched casually every chance they got. Warrick didn't know if it was only obvious to him because knew or not. Women were generally more touchy-feely than men, even with friends. Warrick didn't often envy that, but today, he did. Because it would have been nice to be able to be so close to Greg without arousing anyone's suspicions about their relationship.

 

The doorbell rang, and at first, no one seemed to notice it. Then it rang again and Greg jumped up, seeming to realize that he was the host and no one else was going to leave the game to get the door. Assuming it was Archie, Warrick turned back to the game.

 

"I brought the beer," Archie announced triumphantly. That got everyone's attention away from the game, especially Cath's.

 

"Uh," Greg said awkwardly, looking between Cath and Archie, "didn't you get the memo?"

 

"There was a memo?" Archie finally looked past Greg to the living room and noticed Lindsey. "Sh-shoot," he quickly corrected himself, then tried to hand Greg the eighteen-pack without letting Lindsey or Cath see. Greg sighed, putting a hand on Archie's upper back to push him out of the doorway so Greg could close the door.

 

"I'll just... put it in the fridge for later," he offered, disappearing into the kitchen. None of them knew when 'later' would be, but Cath had said she'd probably be leaving early since she hadn't gotten the night off.

 

Greg was in the kitchen longer than it would've taken just to put the beer away, but the hum of the microwave explained that. Greg came out with his heated cup of coffee a few minutes later, asking if anyone needed a refill.

 

"Sit down and enjoy the game," Nick reprimanded him lightly. Greg had barely sat down since he'd gotten back with Cath, popping up at every commercial to collect empty cans for recycling, bringing out more soda for the adults and juice for Lindsey.

 

Even if Greg weren't determined to play the part of the good host, Warrick didn't think Greg could sit for more than a few minutes after all the caffeine he'd consumed. Greg was hyper on a normal day, but he'd had so much coffee to stay awake that he was bouncing off the walls.

 

The game was barely into the second quarter when Cath decided to leave. Lindsey whined that she didn't want to go. Warrick knew it had to be tough on her, used to a regular schedule while her mother was on a nocturnal schedule. "Tell you what," he said. "If your mom says it's okay, you can tape the rest of the game and I'll come over Friday to watch it with you." The rest of the week, Lindsey had to go to bed early because they were school nights, but on Friday Cath let her stay up later.

 

"Can we, Mom?"

 

Cath sighed heavily, but smiled at Warrick, a tired but friendly smile. "If you're good," she allowed, then thanked Greg for having them over before she left.

 

Archie remembered the beer first, making a beeline for the kitchen. Warrick exchanged an amused grin with Nick, noting that Greg didn't look too thrilled. But hey, it wasn't like Greg had to drink the beer.

 

Besides the three of them, only Archie, Jacqui, and Tina remained. It calmed down a little for the rest of the quarter as they relaxed with beer and the game, enduring wary looks from Greg who'd stopped mainlining coffee by the time halftime started.

 

That was when the beer started to have an effect. Warrick and Jacqui had only had two cans each, but Nick and Archie had been chugging, leaving a pile of cans on the coffee table in front of them. Warrick's wary looks joined Greg's when Nick and Archie started arguing playfully about what happened so far in the game. That in itself wasn't what caused concern; it was when Nick and Archie started to wrestle on the couch, knocking into Jacqui, that Greg sat up and tried to do something about it.

 

"Guys," he said, his gaze flickering from the television to Nick and Archie. They either didn't hear him or were ignoring him, because they kept wrestling each other into the couch. So that was what too much beer did to Nick. Greg stood up when Archie pushed Nick off the couch, sending him tumbling against the coffee table. "Guys!" Greg shouted. "This isn't a frat house!"

 

"Sorry," Archie said, clearly not meaning it because he started to giggle into Nick's elbow where Nick had him in a headlock that was more like a hug. Warrick looked worriedly at Greg, who had to be seeing the same thing Warrick was.

 

Greg sighed. "No more beer for you," he announced, and started to gather up the empty cans.

 

"Beer nazi," Archie snickered, sending Nick off into guffaws of laughter. Greg went on collecting the recyclables, and Warrick got up to help, going with Greg to the kitchen.

 

"You okay?" he asked once they were alone, and Greg nodded, forcing a smile.

 

"Once a frat boy, always a frat boy," he said dismissively, picking up a sponge and starting to clean the counter. When he looked at Warrick over his shoulder, Greg's smile was absolutely wicked. "He's gonna have a hell of a hangover."

 

Warrick chuckled. "You say that like it's a good thing." Greg didn't seem to be concerned how friendly Nick and Archie were acting the way Warrick was; it was almost like he'd seen them act like this before and was prepared to just wait it out.

 

Greg rolled his eyes, his smile a lot less sharp, but still there. "He'll feel so bad he won't drink this much again for months. Then he'll get another hangover and eventually he'll realize he's not in college anymore."

 

"He's gotten drunk like this before?"

 

"I've only seen him like this once. He was at a bar and he couldn't find his keys, but somehow he remembered my number. Either that or it was programmed into his phone." Greg shrugged, his face starting to flush. "When I went to pick him up he was all over me." Greg laughed suddenly, grinning as he leaned back against the counter, supporting his weight on his elbows. "It's a good thing we'd already slept together, cuz otherwise that would've been a huge turnoff."

 

It surprised Warrick that Greg was talking about this with people from work there, but with Archie drunk and everyone in Greg's line of sight and far enough away not to hear him, Warrick figured he felt safe. He was keeping his voice down, at least. "Nick all over you would've been a huge turnoff?"

 

Greg laughed, then dropped the sponge on the counter, glancing into the living room once before scooting into the pantry. He motioned for Warrick to join him, and against his better judgment, Warrick followed.

 

When he stood facing the back of the pantry, there were only a few inches of space on either side of his shoulders, effectively blocking Greg from the view of anyone who happened to walk in. This was a bad idea, a really bad idea, but he couldn't refuse the look in Greg's eyes.

 

"No," Greg answered with a chuckle, curling his fingers in Warrick's shirt. Well, at least that gave them greater plausible deniability if anyone saw them in the pantry together. What was strange was that they were talking about Nick, and Warrick didn't mind. "The being drunk. I hate the smell of beer." Greg made a face.

 

"You must not like the smell of my breath then," he commented, stepping closer as he hooked his fingers through the belt loops of Greg's pants. He must have drunk more than he'd realized, because otherwise he wouldn't be doing this. There was something so elicit about being so close to Greg when their coworkers were in the next room, albeit one drunk coworker and one possibly gay coworker. And the third quarter was starting, so none of them was likely to leave the living room now.

 

"It's not that bad," Greg whispered, tilting his head up to get closer, his lips fractions of an inch from Warrick's. There was an invitation in Greg's eyes and Warrick just knew that if they started something, he'd want to finish it, even though that wasn't possible until everyone was out of the house. Warrick was tempted to kick everyone out, or else just say screw it and close and lock the pantry door.

 

"Do you need to get anything from the grocery store?" he asked inanely, wondering why he'd just asked that when he was distracted by Greg licking his lips.

 

"No, why?"

 

"Uh." Warrick blinked slowly, trying to remember why. "I don't know."

 

"Oh." Greg cocked his head, then pushed at Warrick's chest. "Get back in the kitchen. Here," he whispered, pushing something into Warrick's hands. "Just... go."

 

Warrick did as Greg directed, looking down at what Greg had put in his hands. A can of salted peanuts. Well, that was... not suspect.

 

No one had gotten up from the living room, but Warrick didn't want to take another chance. As exhilerating as that had been, he wasn't going to gamble that they'd get that lucky twice.

 

***

 

He woke up to the sound of an unfamiliar voice whispering Jacqui's name. "What are you doing?" It took him a minute to remember that that was Tina, Jacqui's girlfriend.

 

Warrick rubbed at his eyes, trying to focus so he could assess the situation. Nick was nowhere to be found, and Tina was hugging the end of the couch, watching Jacqui and Archie, who, Warrick suddenly realized, were up to no good.

 

"Shhh," Jacqui whispered, laughing quietly. "Don't wake him up."

 

"You already did," Warrick half-groaned, pushing up from where he'd been slouched down in his seat. Everyone turned to look at him, and that was when he saw Greg.

 

Greg had fallen asleep in the overstuffed chair by the couch, and there was writing on his face, 'Archie was here' and 'fingerprints rule'. How the hell had Greg slept through that?

 

Greg's face twitched like a rabbit before he opened his eyes. "Warrick?" he asked, clearly disoriented as he rubbed at his face. In the background, he could tell that the postgame had begun, which meant he'd missed the end of it.

 

And Greg had no idea what was on his face. Warrick tried not to laugh, and failed miserably. "You should go look in the mirror," he managed, trying to put on a stern look for Jacqui and Archie, but they didn't look intimidated.

 

A babble of curses came from the bathroom, and Warrick knew Greg had seen his fellow lab techs' artwork.

 

"That's my cue," Archie said, stumbling to the door. Jacqui grabbed the back of Archie's shirt, informing him that they were going to give him a ride, just in time for Greg to emerge into the front room. Jacqui went over to talk to Greg for a few minutes, the parting hug reassuring Warrick that there weren't any hard feelings.

 

Once all their guests were gone, Greg stared sleepily at the living room. "This place is a mess," he muttered, rubbing at his face. The words were mostly gone, nothing left but a few smudges of black in random places on Greg's face.

 

"Don't worry about it," Warrick said, going over to slip an arm around Greg's waist and walking him out of the living room, toward the bedroom. "Nick and I have the night off, we'll clean up."

 

Under normal circumstances, Warrick thought Greg would protest, but Greg looked exhaused. "Kay," he said with a nod, leaning against Warrick as they walked toward the bedroom. "'sit gonna be weird for you to sleep here with Nick here?"

 

"Lemme guess," Warrick said, "he passed out."

 

"Yeah," Greg sighed. "He's in the spare room. D'you mind staying?"

 

"Not at all," he assured Greg, dropping a kiss onto his lips as they entered the bedroom. He'd be in bed with Greg, and Nick would be in the spare bed. It wasn't a big deal. Besides, Warrick was too tired to even think about driving, and why pay for a cab when he could fall asleep with his boyfriend in his arms for free?

 

"Good," Greg murmured, pulling Warrick down into bed with him. There was a kiss, and then there was sleep. All in all, it was the best Superbowl party Warrick had ever been to, even though he'd missed half the game.


	38. Chapter 38  Hangover

  
Author's notes: "You don't mind if I torture Nick a little, do you?"  


* * *

Greg was laughing. He was still in Warrick's arms, but his back was to Warrick, and he was shaking, rhythmically, matching laughter coming out of his mouth. "You're just sorry you have a hangover."

 

"Nuh uh."

 

"I warned you," Greg continued calmly. "But did you listen? Nope. And now you have a hangover."

 

On the other side of Greg, Nick groaned. "You're havin' way too much fun with this."

 

"Moi?" Warrick could just imagine the innocent look on Greg's face. "Have fun with your suffering? No way." Greg tilted away from him, from the sound of it, to give Nick a kiss, then he flipped onto his other side, looking warmly at Warrick just before brushing their lips together, a kiss not so much to make a point as it had been with Nick. Warrick wondered how many times he'd technically kissed Nick, because every time Greg kissed him after kissing Nick, there would be evidence of Nick on Warrick. Secondary transferrance. "You don't mind if I torture Nick a little, do you?"

 

Warrick chuckled softly. "You don't need my permission to do that, babe."

 

Greg grinned. "Well, okay. Just pay attention, cuz if you ever get drunk on my watch, I'm gonna do the same thing to you. Gotta be consistent, you know?"

 

"Is that a threat?" he wondered aloud, smiling for Greg's benefit.

 

"More like a warning," Greg clarified with a serious nod, then reached over Warrick with a wink. Warrick stiffened; he hadn't thought lube and condoms would be required to torture Nick. But instead of hearing the drawer pulled open, Greg flicked on the lamp, then pulled away.

 

Oh.

 

Warrick's rapidly beating heart gradually slowed.

 

There was movement on the other side of the bed, and a mostly muffled murmur, then more light as Greg turned on the other lamp. Nick tried to roll away from it, and moaned. "Greg..."

 

"Mmmm, I love it when you moan my name like that." Greg winked at Warrick, then climbed over Nick and out of bed, walking toward the bathroom door by the other nightstand. "I'm gonna take a shower," he informed them, smiling sweetly at Nick. The smile was still in place as Greg looked up at Warrick, although it was a little more wicked this time. "Hey Warrick, Eric got me a Marilyn Manson CD for Christmas. You wanna listen?"

 

Warrick narrowed his eyes. "I thought we were torturing Nick, not me too."

 

Greg rolled his eyes. "And you say you have good taste in music. Well, whatever. I have to take a shower." With that, he disappeared, even closing the door behind him.

 

And Warrick was left in bed with a groggy, hungover Nick. It wasn't how he expected to end up in bed with Nick for the first time. "Can you turn the lights off?"

 

It was fun to torture Nick. Warrick would have to take lessons from Greg more often. "I dunno, man. It's almost eleven. I know we stayed up late, but we should probably stay up now that we're up. Don't wanna mess up our sleep schedule."

 

Nick groaned and rolled onto his stomach. "Not you too," he moaned, his voice mostly muffled by the bed.

 

"You're cute like this," Warrick decided, then slipped out of bed and turned on the overhead light. Nick tried to hide under the covers, but Warrick pulled them off him. Nick was still completely dressed, except for his shoes, his clothes sadly wrinkled. "Up."

 

"You're not the boss of me," Nick mumbled, and Warrick laughed. He didn't know how hungover Nick was, or if Nick was just playing with him, but it was amusing all the same. Nick finally rolled over, squinting up at Warrick. "How many did I have?"

 

"I don't know, but you gotta clean it up," Warrick informed him, giving Nick a jovial clap on the shoulder like Nick was so fond of giving. Nick grimaced. "You can count them when you're out there. And if you're not sure which ones are yours, we can give them to Greg and he can test the biologicals."

 

"Oh no I can't," Greg called from the bathroom. Was he listening at the door? Or was Warrick talking that loud? "I'm having nothing to do with it."

 

"Well, there's always Hodges."

 

Nick groaned louder than he had all night.

 

***

 

With the exception of the two beer cans by Warrick's chair, the others were impossible to identify by drinker without tools to analyze the biological samples and someone who knew how to use them. Since Greg was having nothing to do with it, and since Nick didn't really care how many he'd had, they just put all eighteen cans in the recycling bin.

 

That was the easy the part of cleaning up.

 

"I'll be back in about twelve hours," Greg informed them, kissing Nick on the lips and then Warrick, not lingering with either of them. He had to get to work, after all. "Think you two can behave while I'm gone?"

 

"Define 'behave'," Nick retorted with a smile. He seemed less hungover now.

 

Greg seemed to ponder that. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said with a wink, then waved to both them. "See ya tomorrow!"

 

Warrick stood in the middle of the mess, staring at Nick. "That doesn't really narrow it down much," he commented. Nick nodded soberly.

 

About an hour later, the front of Greg's house looked pretty much like it had before. Cleaning up wasn't Warrick's favorite way to spend an evening, but it wasn't so bad.

 

It had turned out well, actually. He'd missed the second half of the game, and he would assume that Nick and Greg had, too. Since Cath had to leave early, Warrick knew that she had, and whether Lindsey had missed it or not, she'd still want to watch it with Warrick.

 

Now, if he could manage to avoid the score for five days, it would be like he hadn't missed anything at all. "When do you have to bring the big screen back?"

 

"Today, but they're not open till eight," Nick said. He looked around the living room, then nodded to himself. "So, wanna do something?"

 

"Sure." It had been a while since and Nick had had the same night off, which meant it had been a while since they'd spent more than the length of a meal alone together. And now they really were alone together, in Greg's house. "Have anything in mind?"

 

Nick shook his head. Warrick thought about suggesting going to a casino, but there were better ways to spend his time with Nick. He just wasn't sure what. "We could go see a movie."

 

Warrick smiled. Was Nick suggesting a date? Why did that make him smile? "What are we, in high school?"

 

Nick shrugged. "Just making a suggestion."

 

There was no reason not to go to a movie with Nick. None whatsoever. "Okay," he agreed with a shrug, even though he knew he was agreeing to more than just a movie. Maybe not any of the usual things that went along with a date, but just the fact that he was thinking of it as a date was a big step. "What's playing?"


	39. Chapter 39  Bias

  
Author's notes: When a case hits close to home, Warrick is forced to revisit his past and face his present.  


* * *

Walking down this street was like walking into a memory. Warrick had grown up on this block. It wasn't the first time he'd walked down this street at night, or even the first time he'd walked down this street past an ambulance. He hadn't been here in years; hadn't been here since he'd graduated college.

 

"Hey," he greeted Brass, looking around nostalgically. Grissom seemed to notice, because he asked if this was the neighborhood Warrick had grown up in. Warrick nodded. "Yeah, not too far away. My grandmother still lives down the block." He hadn't seen her since college, either. Ten years. The witnesses on the other side of the crime scene tape were ten years older than the last time he'd seen them, too, but he still recognized a lot of them. "Lots of familiar faces."

 

One of those familiar faces yelled at him from the other side of the crime scene tape. "Hey Brown, you gonna find out who did this?"

 

"We're gonna do our jobs," Warrick answered, careful not to give any opinions or get anyone's hopes up. Lots of cases went unsolved. It wasn't his job to give answers until they had some.

 

"Jason Gilbert," Brass told them, referring to the kid on the stretcher. "Shot through and through. He's gonna be all right, though."

 

"What was he doing here?" Warrick couldn't help but notice that the kid was white. When Warrick had been growing up, you never saw white kids in this neighborhood. Maybe it meant they were making progress, or maybe it meant the opposite, because that might've been the reason the kid was shot. Either way, it was a relevant question.

 

"Visiting his girlfriend next door." That confirmed what Warrick suspected; the kid didn't live here. His girlfriend did, though, and if she was the girl they were interviewing, she was black. Some things had changed, but others hadn't. "He hit the deck when the shooting started. Didn't see a car."

 

"Drive-by," Grissom suggested. "His girlfriend see anything?"

 

"Nobody saw a thing. Little girl inside wasn't so lucky. Aimee Phelps, age nine."

 

"Phelps?" It couldn't be. Aimee? Matt's kid?

 

"Father operates a rec center down the block."

 

Shit. It was him. Warrick shouldn't have, but he left the scene outside, hurrying to the house. He had to talk to Matt. Had to be there for him, because he'd helped so many people, including Warrick, and if something had happened to his daughter...

 

The sight of Matt hunched over, looking so weak, so broken, sent a shock right through Warrick's system. Matt had always been so strong, an inspiration to Warrick and everyone who'd ever met the man. And he just looked... broken. "What happened, man?" he asked softly, walking slowly so as not to startle him.

 

"They killed my baby." Matt's voice was as broken as his posture suggested, a doll held tightly in his hands. It had to be Aimee's. Warrick stepped closer, putting a hand on Matt's shoulder as tears fell down the man's face. Warrick told Matt he was sorry, but he knew it wasn't enough.

 

"I got here as quickly as I could," he soothed. He hated that he had to interview Matt, but he wouldn't let anyone else do it. This case came as close to home as it could get, both literally and figuratively. "Can you tell me what happened?"

 

"Cops said they were aiming at some white kid." Warrick took a shallow breath. If Aimee had been killed because of some stupid racial crime, that... Warrick didn't know what he was going to do when they found the guy. It wasn't just that it was racially motivated. Aimee was collateral damage. No child should be collateral damage. "I thought I was making a difference."

 

"You are making a difference," Warrick said firmly. "I'm living proof." It was a hell of a thing to say that he was better off than he would've been if he'd stayed in the neighborhood where he'd grown up, but it was true. There were no opportunities here. If it hadn't been for Matt, Warrick would've still been living with his grandmother. That made interviewing him even harder, watching the pain on Matt's face as he described what had happened, the screech of tires outside, the gunshots when he'd been just trying to put his kids to bed. "I gotta process the scene," he said roughly, not wanting to leave Matt. But he knew he had to. "I'm sorry."

 

Matt let him go without a word. Warrick couldn't help but pause to look at the man before he went up the stairs. Matt had been a teacher, a mentor, a man who'd taught Warrick to believe in himself, to do what he knew was right instead of what other people told him what was right. Matt was the one he'd told all about Rachael, Matt was the one who'd listened when he'd needed to vent about Rachael cheating on him, and Matt was the only person Warrick had introduced his first boyfriend to. Not his grandmother; never his grandmother. Matt had been family; he'd been like a father to him. Not like his grandmother, who'd never stopped punishing him for his mother's mistakes.

 

There was nothing he hated more than seeing a murdered child, and it was even worse when the grieving father was like a father to Warrick himself. No father should ever have to bury a child.

 

Warrick pulled on a pair of gloves, the need to not contaminate the crime scene instinct and more important than usual. This one was personal. He couldn't mess up on this one.

 

She was so small. So young. She was beloved, and she wasn't a threat to anyone. There was no need for her to die. And all because of what? Because the girl next door had a white boyfriend?

 

"You gonna be able to handle this?"

 

Warrick looked up, startled. He hadn't even noticed Grissom there until he'd spoken. He pulled his hand back, leveling a look at Grissom. Hell yeah, he was gonna be able to handle this, because he was gonna be the one to put the killer away. "I want this case."

 

Grissom agreed with a minute nod, but he looked wary. Warrick didn't blame him. He had no idea how he was going to react when he found the killer, and he just hoped for Grissom's sake, and for the rest of the department's sake, that he didn't do anything to make himself a liability.

 

After processing the bedroom, they had to process the rest of the house. Warrick sighed as he looked at the empty display case. "Matt told me his house was broken into about a week ago. They took all his awards, his medals. Everything in this case." Warrick could just imagine how Matt had felt when his prized medals had been taken, but he knew it was nothing compared to losing his daughter. "I hope whoever took it, it meant as much to them as it did to him."

 

"Well, we're obviously looking for an automatic." Grissom was studying the bullet holes in the wall by the case, clearly leading toward the bedroom.

 

"No doubt," he agreed. "All this damage."

 

"The bullets went through the glass, shed their jackets or disintegrated completely on impact with the wall. All we have left are lead cores, which are of no comparison value." They both looked up as the coroners carried Aimee's body outside. She'd be brought to the lab, and an autopsy would be done. Warrick felt sick. "The only bullet that may help us is inside that little girl."

 

Finished with cataloging the interior of the house, Warrick and Grissom followed the coroners outside, where Brass greeted them with more information. "So, Jason Gilbert, the kid who was shot, not too popular in the neighborhood." Warrick could've told them that, but he kept the comment to himself. "Just in a fight last week, down the street."

 

"You saw his girl, she was hot. They were probably mackin' on her." Warrick knew the mentality of some of these guys. They were pissed off because they thought they should get first shot at her, and a white boy was with her instead. Which made Grissom's theory of a drive-by make sense. "Matt said he heard tires screech. And... the bullets went from right to left." Which meant that, assuming the vehicle the bullets had been fired from was moving forward, it had to have come from the corner closest to the house, not the opposite side of the street.

 

They started toward the corner, and Warrick was the first to reach the overturned mailbox. He snapped a few shots, then picked it up, taking more pictures of the mailbox where it should be so they could look at the dent in context.

 

"You know, it's a federal offense to be messing with the postal service," Brass said. Warrick had no idea what that had to with their case, other than that it would let them bring someone in on suspicion of knocking over a mailbox, but they had to find the driver first.

 

"Took that corner pretty hard, huh?"

 

"Yeah." Brass circled the mailbox as Warrick continued taking pictures from every angle, pausing when Brass looked at him. "Doesn't that dent look a little high? Like a truck or SUV?"

 

Brass had a point. "Yeah."

 

"I'm not just another pretty face, you know."

 

That was Warrick's cue to laugh with or congratulate Brass, but he wasn't in the mood. Instead, he took note of the silver paint transfer on the dent, and hoped for the best.

 

***

 

They didn't get any new leads for the rest of the shift * , not that they didn't try. Warrick even pulled a double just in case, calling Greg to let him know that he didn't know how long he'd be, so Greg shouldn't expect him. Warrick wasn't going to interrupt Greg's sleep just because he couldn't let go of this case, even though he wanted nothing more than to hold Greg and forget any of this had happened. He couldn't do that, though. It had happened, and he had to find out who was responsible.

 

Grissom was standing in the door of the evidence room, watching Warrick pace, going over the crime scene photos again and again. Nothing. "Warrick," Grissom said gently, "go home."

 

"What are you still doing here?" It was late, hours after he should've been asleep, but he couldn't let this go. He just kept hoping that they'd find something. That some spark of inspiration would come to him and the photos, the eyewitness testimony, would come together to tell him who'd killed Matt's daughter.

 

"I want you to go home, Warrick," Grissom said sternly. "Get some sleep, and don't come back till I give you a call."

 

"Wait, what?" That wasn't an answer, that was an order.

 

"I'll call you the minute we have a break on the case, or when we get a new case that needs your attention. But you're no good to me dead on your feet like this."

 

Warrick could've protested, but he knew Grissom was right. He wasn't doing anyone any good staring at the same evidence with dead eyes.

 

***

 

It was a selfish relief to be home, to be able to toe off his shoes, drop his keys on the table, make a cup of coffee, and check his mail. He could do all that knowing that the people he cared about were alive and well, not in a drawer in a morgue. He hadn't just lost a daughter. He was a thousand times more fortunate than Matt Phelps, and Warrick wondered if it was worth loving anyone at all. Because losing someone you loved hurt so much more than losing someone you barely knew.

 

Warrick didn't know what he would do if he ever lost Greg. Or Nick, for that matter. Nick was his best friend. It had actually been fun to go a movie with Nick, even if nothing else had happened because Warrick hadn't been ready for anything to happen. But the great thing about their friendship was that even if he wasn't ready for what Nick wanted, they could still be friends. Warrick might not be in love with Nick the way he was with Greg, but he did love Nick as a friend, and Nick's presence in his life meant a great deal to him. Losing Nick would be as bad as losing Greg, and in their line of work, Warrick knew the risks to their lives were greater than usual.

 

Maybe he should go see Greg, just to tell him how much he loved him, how lucky he was to have Greg in his life. He knew that he'd be waking Greg up, disturbing Greg's sleep, maybe even scaring him with the intensity of his emotions, but Warrick knew that if Greg were in the same situation, he'd be grateful to be able to be there for Greg. His decision made, Warrick went to his bedroom, preparing to freshen up with a splash of water on his face and a change of clothes, then stopped short when he saw his bed.

 

God. Greg was there, in his bed, fast asleep. He had to've used the key Warrick gave him, gone into Warrick's bedroom, and fallen asleep waiting for him. He'd probably wanted to surprise him. Maybe it was the emotion of the case he was working, but Warrick was touched beyond words.

 

He quickly stripped down to his boxers, sliding in beside Greg on the right side of the bed. He usually slept on the left side, with Greg on the right, but he didn't feel like walking around when Greg was right here, when being so close to the edge of the bed reminded him of the precarious balance they all had to maintain if they wanted to stay together. He'd made so many mistakes with Greg, taken Greg for granted at times, and still, Greg wanted to be with him. Warrick was grateful for that.

 

Greg stirred slightly in his sleep, but he didn't wake up. That was fine. Warrick just wanted to hold Greg in his arms. Maybe a miracle would happen, and he'd be able to fall asleep. He hadn't gone to bed immediately because despite his exhaustion, he couldn't get his racing thoughts to slow down. Maybe having Greg in his arms would help him to calm down.

 

Warrick closed his eyes, wrapping his body around Greg's from behind. Nuzzled Greg's neck and pulled back, his eyes slitting open when he noticed a strange feeling against his face. Opening his eyes, he could see that it was a necklace, a beaded hemp necklace around Greg's neck. That was new. It was Greg, though. It worked for him.

 

Warrick reached up to trace the necklace with his fingers, the hemp rough and the beads smooth. His fingers didn't stay there for long. He started to trace the skin under the necklace, noting how short the necklace was, as tight as a choker around Greg's neck. Warrick had never worn necklaces that short; he didn't like them any more than turtlenecks. Too restricting. But Greg didn't seem to mind. He had to like it if he was wearing it.

 

Greg shivered a little, then started to move, turning over in Warrick's arms. "Hey," he said sleepily, struggling to open his eyes. "What time is it?"

 

"Think it's around four," he murmured, seeking and finding Greg's lips instantly. Greg let out a surprised sound, then kissed back, slipping his arms around Warrick's waist.

 

"Wow," Greg said a little breathlessly. "Long day."

 

Warrick nodded, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Greg's. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to not want to think about it, because Matt Phelps wouldn't be able to forget that his daughter was gone. He'd never be able to forget.

 

"You okay?" Greg sounded concerned.

 

"Yeah," he whispered, forcing his eyes open. "Just a long day." He didn't want to go into it. Couldn't. He shouldn't even be letting a case get this personal.

 

Greg didn't look convinced, but he didn't push, either. He nodded sympathetically, wrapping his arms more securely around Warrick's waist to pull him closer to the center of the bed. "You wanna talk about it?"

 

Did he want to talk about it? Eventually. He didn't know if Greg would understand. He didn't know if he'd be able to talk about it without getting mad. But yeah. He wanted to talk about it. "Yeah."

 

Greg nodded, reaching up to stroke the side of Warrick's face when he didn't continue. Warrick closed his eyes, wishing he could lose himself in the gentle touches. Wishing Aimee hadn't had to die.

 

"There was a drive-by in the neighborhood I grew up in," he began, not sure how else to start. Greg knew, like most everyone at the crime lab did, that Warrick had lived in Vegas all his life. "Someone was upset because one of the neighborhood girls had a white boyfriend."

 

Greg was silent for a few minutes. They'd never really talked about race; Greg had never even seemed to notice that their skin was a different color. "And that's not... usual there?"

 

Warrick shook his head. "I never woulda brought a white girl home. My grandmother woulda tanned my hide."

 

Greg bit his lip, a hesitant look in his eyes. "Is it... is it weird that you're dating me?"

 

"What, because you're white, or because you're male?" Greg shrugged a little helplessly. Warrick wasn't sure how to answer, because he'd never told anyone before. The male part was easy. The white part, not so much. "Once I left home, it wasn't a big deal for me to date guys. And as for dating white guys, it would be kinda hypocritical if I had an issue with it."

 

"What... what do you mean?" Greg looked confused, and Warrick didn't blame him. He told himself that it wouldn't matter if Greg knew; that Greg wouldn't care, because Greg loved him unconditionally. It wasn't like it changed who he was.

 

"I never met my father," he began, still tentative despite his decision to go ahead with telling Greg. "The only thing I ever knew about him was that he left before I was born, and that he was white."

 

"Oh." Greg pursed his lips, seeming unsure how to respond to that. "So you're, uh, half white."

 

Warrick nodded, then smiled slightly. Greg wasn't freaking out. And why should he? Greg, poster boy for political correctness and open-mindedness, who was already dating one white guy and one black guy. Why should it make a difference to him? "Haven't you ever wondered why my eyes are so light?"

 

"Hm." Greg studied his eyes carefully, lifting a finger to trace one of Warrick's eyebrows. "Maybe, but I spent more time wondering how they could be so beautiful." Greg smiled a little, as if wasn't sure it was okay.

 

"You think my eyes are beautiful?" It was... nice to hear, if unexpected.

 

"Yeah. They're usually dark green, with little flecks in them. The color's... rich," Greg explained with a decisive nod. Warrick realized Greg must've spent quite a bit of time gazing into his eyes, the same way Warrick had into Greg's. "Sometimes they change color, depending on what you're wearing. When you wear one of those gray shirts, your eyes get... they get this really, beautiful blue color."

 

Warrick found himself smiling wider. "So that's why you like that shirt so much."

 

Greg blushed. "Hey, I like all your shirts. Your eyes are gorgeous no matter what color you're wearing."

 

Now Warrick was the one blushing. "Yeah, well, so are yours." He guessed that was supposed to be a retort, but he wasn't used to being told how beautiful he or his eyes were.

 

"Right." Greg smirked skeptically. "They match my moles so well."

 

Greg hated those, too. "I happen to like your moles," he said, reaching up to trace said moles with his finger. "I like everything about you."

 

"Ricky," Greg laughed, his face turning an interesting shade of pink. "You're so biased."

 

"Maybe," he murmured, dropping a kiss on Greg's lips. "But it's just cuz I love you."

 

Greg sighed happily, his knee slipping between Warrick's legs as he hugged him close. "Love you too," he murmured, returning the kiss.

 

They fell asleep soon after that, before Warrick had a chance to tell Greg more about the case, and before he could ask about the necklace. But that was okay, because he had Greg in his arms and even though the case wasn't solved yet, even though they couldn't bring Aimee back, at least he would have his head on straight when Grissom called him in to help with the case.

 

***

 

When the alarm woke him up at ten, Greg was already awake, but not touching Warrick gently or bouncing around to get ready for work like he usually was. Instead, his hands were resting on his stomach, and he was staring up at the ceiling. Warrick could only guess that it had something to do with what they'd talked about this afternoon.

 

"Hey, babe," he murmured, slipping an arm around Greg's waist. "You're a million miles away." It wasn't often that he saw Greg like this, so quiet, so still. Thoughtful was a look he was very familiar with on Greg, but it usually went along with something scientific, be it an experiment in the lab or an allegory about their relationship.

 

Greg's smile came first, small and sincere. Then he rolled onto his side, moving closer for a wakeup kiss. "Just thinking about something you said before," Greg said thoughtfully. So, he'd guessed right. "It had to be tough on your mom," he went on before Warrick had a chance to ask if he wanted to talk about it. Warrick raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't say anything. He assumed Greg meant that it had been difficult for her with the stigma of dating a white man in that neighborhood, but as Greg continued, Warrick realized that wasn't it at all. "I mean, you said your grandmother didn't approve, right?" Warrick nodded. "And you said you would've been in trouble with her if you brought a white girl home, which means that you lived with your grandmother, and that had to be hard on your mom, living with her mother who didn't approve."

 

Ah. Warrick shook his head, realizing that Greg didn't know the whole story. "I didn't live with my grandmother until my mother died," he explained. Greg's eyes widened sympathetically. "I was only seven when it happened, so I don't know much but my grandmother's side of the story. She disowned my mother when she got pregnant with me. It was just the two of us for seven years, then she was in a car crash and my grandmother adopted me. But she never let me forget that only half of me was her grandson."

 

"Car crash." Was that the only thing Greg had heard? "Did they ever find out who was responsible?"

 

"Greg, don't," he said. Greg was not going to turn his mother's death into a crime scene. "It was an accident."

 

Greg frowned. "I'm a scientist, Warrick. There are no accidents. Someone's responsible for your mother..." Greg faltered.

 

"Dying," Warrick finished. "It's okay." He sighed. "If you want to look at the police report, I won't stop you. It's all there. There was nothing malicious about the car crash. Trust me, Greg. No one wants to blame someone for my mother's death more than I do, but there's no one to blame. It was just unfortunate circumstances. It's in the past, and I'd like to keep it that way."

 

Greg dropped his gaze, and started chewing distractedly on his lower lip. "I do trust you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

 

Warrick didn't know whether Greg was apologizing for his mother dying, or for there being no one to blame, or for jumping at the possibility that it was a crime. It didn't matter. Warrick heard it as an apology for all of the above. "It's okay," he reassured Greg. "You don't have to be sorry."

 

Greg nodded, lifting his eyes to Warrick's again. "I'm sorry you had to lose your mother," he said more specifically, and Warrick had a feeling that wasn't what his original apology had been about. "It sucks to grow up without your parents."

 

Warrick reached up to brush his fingers through Greg's hair, realizing that Greg had never talked about his own parents. Only Papa Olaf. "You lost your parents too?"

 

Greg snorted. "No, they're still alive. But I never saw them when I was growing up. They loved to travel." Greg rolled his eyes. "Cancun, the Bahamas, South America, Paris, London, Hong Kong..." His voice trailed off, and Warrick got the feeling that was just the beginning of the list. "I saw them for about a few months every year. Not all at the same time, of course, but it added up. When they were out of the country, they left me with my Papa Olaf in San Gabriel. I practically grew up there." Greg smiled all of a sudden. "He was the favorite babysitter. I got to spend a lot of time with my cousins, and other kids in the neighborhood, you know. I always had someone to play with. And Papa Olaf was a great babysitter. He always had something fun for us to do, but he made sure we did all our homework and got in by our curfews, too. He was really active for an old guy." Greg laughed. "You couldn't help but love him."

 

Warrick smiled. "I can tell," he agreed. "Maybe you could introduce me some day." It wasn't a suggestion Warrick had ever thought he'd make, but Greg obviously loved talking about his Papa and spending time with him, too. And even though Greg hadn't told him how his Papa felt about Greg's lifestyle, Warrick had a feeling Greg wouldn't be so happy talking about him if he weren't.

 

"Oh, I should," Greg said enthusiastically. "He'd love you. And Nick too. Although," Greg murmured, "we better warn him before we come over. Don't wanna interrupt him with one of his lady friends." Greg wiggled his eyebrows, and Warrick laughed.

 

It was amazing how natural it seemed for Greg to just slip Nick's name in there. Of course, Greg couldn't introduce Warrick without introducing Nick; that would be Greg choosing one of them over the other, and Warrick knew by now that that wasn't going to happen. He didn't want it to happen, either. Theirs might not be the most traditional arrangement, but it made Greg happy and that made Warrick happy. Besides, it meant that Nick was there to be with Greg when Warrick couldn't for whatever reason.

 

"No, we definitely don't wanna do that." Warrick rolled onto his back and pulled Greg on top of him, a sensation he'd gone too long without. "Wouldn't want anyone to interrupt us," he pointed out.

 

"Hm," Greg murmured, lips pursed thoughtfully as he looked down at Warrick. The temptation to say something was written all over his face.

 

"Say it," he said calmly. Greg sighed, trying to hide a smile.

 

"Except Nick," he finally said. Warrick nodded. Of course.

 

"Just interrupting, huh?" He could talk about this. He could even think about it. Not to mention it helped keep his mind off other things he couldn't do anything about until he got a call from Grissom.

 

"Interrupting... watching... joining in..." It was clear that the idea was getting Greg turned on, and that turned Warrick on. Greg's arousal, of course. Not the things he was talking about. "You like the sound of that, don't you?"

 

No. It wasn't the sound he liked. Not at all.

 

Maybe a little.

 

Warrick shrugged.

 

"Uh huh," Greg said with a suggestive smirk. "You also liked the sound of introducing me to your friend, too. Even though..." Greg's smile widened suddenly, his eyes gleaming.

 

Warrick cleared his throat. At the time, he'd had no idea of knowing that Greg would ever find out it was Nick, and he'd had no idea that Nick was Greg's other boyfriend. Greg had seemed... interested in meeting Warrick's friend, even though he hadn't known it was Nick, and he'd even liked the idea that his friend had kissed him. Probably because it had led to Warrick kissing Greg, which got everything going on the right track. "Even though I knew it was Nick," he admitted. "Can you blame me? The idea of you and Nick is..."

 

Greg smiled knowingly. "Extremely hot. So," Greg continued, "was I right? Do you have voyeuristic fantasies, too?"

 

Warrick didn't know how he could be so hard when all the blood in his body seemed to be in his face, making him flush to the tips of his ears. "Uh."

 

"It's okay, you know." Greg kissed him lightly. The way his hips were grinding into Warrick's wasn't so light. "I've thought about it too." Warrick's heart was racing as he waited for Greg to continue. He wanted Greg to continue, even though he didn't want to want to. It was kind of confusing. And hard to think. Greg studied his face for a while, then opened his mouth again, leaning in to continue in a murmur against Warrick's lips. "Nick and I are kissing, and we're really into it, you know? And then I look up, and you're there, too. So I turn my head to kiss you, and you kiss me back, and Nick keeps kissing me. My neck," Greg murmured, picking Warrick's hand up to touch the base of his neck. "Right here. Both of you taking turns kissing me..."

 

Warrick closed his eyes, his fingers ghosting over the juncture of Greg's neck and shoulder. He could feel Greg moving against him, movements as seductive as Greg's voice, as the images his words were evoking.

 

"It's okay to like it, Ricky," Greg whispered. Warrick had thought there was some agreement not to push him, but was this really pushing? It felt more like... easing into it.

 

"I know," he finally admitted. He did like it. Liked it so much he was starting to wonder when he'd get a chance to try it. But then, Greg could make anything sound good.

 

"You know... maybe... instead of just talking about it..." Greg sounded hesitant. "Maybe we could actually try it sometime." Greg's voice was quiet, kind of rough, the way he sometimes sounded when he got nervous in the middle of a presentation of results for a case, trying to impress and not offend at the same time.

 

Warrick had never been able to say no to that voice. "Maybe we could," he allowed, his own voice rougher than usual. Greg looked about as surprised as Warrick felt.

 

"Okay," Greg breathed. "That's good. So maybe, uh, maybe sometime when you're both here, you wouldn't mind if I, you know, kissed Nick or something, and then maybe you'd kiss me." Greg was breathless just talking about it. Warrick could only imagine how he'd react to it actually happening.

 

"Mmm, maybe." It was starting to sound like a really good idea. "You know, you should've been a lawyer."

 

"Me?"

 

"Mmhm," Warrick agreed. "You're very persuasive."

 

"Well, maybe I could persuade you to take a shower with me."

 

Greg didn't need to ask twice. They had plenty of time to relax before work - well, before Greg had to get to work. They were in the shower by the time Warrick remembered he hadn't told Greg about his time off. "I uh, Grissom told me not to come in till he called me."

 

"Oh." Greg frowned curiously. "Because you stayed so late?"

 

Warrick nodded. Even when they pulled doubles, they didn't usually stay till past three. Hell, they didn't usually stay past noon.

 

"You really wanna solve this one, huh," Greg said thoughtfully. Warrick knew what he was thinking - it wasn't the first time they'd handled a racially motivated case, so why was it getting to him so much? "How many victims?"

 

So maybe he was wrong about what Greg was thinking. "Define victims," he sighed. "Boyfriend was shot, not fatal. One of the uh, one of the bullets went through a house and killed a little girl. Aimee Phelps. Her father... was..." Warrick didn't even know how to begin.

 

"Someone you knew?" Greg prompted. Warrick nodded.

 

"Matt Phelps runs a rec center for the kids in town. He was a great inspiration to me when I was growing up. Smart... strong... gave us all tough love." Warrick sighed. A man like Matt Phelps should never have to suffer a loss like he had. "He was like a father to me."

 

"Damn," Greg muttered. "Any leads?"

 

Warrick shook his head. "Not yet. I kept hoping if I looked hard enough, I'd find one, but... nothing."

 

Greg leaned into Warrick then, just hugging him, his head resting against Warrick's shoulder. "I'm glad I was here when you got back."

 

"Me too." He ran his hands up and down Greg's back, water dripping down Greg's back in counterpoint to the motion of his hands. "If you weren't, I was gonna go find you."

 

"Yeah?" A pleased smile spread over Greg's face.

 

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I couldn't stop thinking how lucky I was to have you in my life." And still alive, he thought, but didn't say.

 

Greg hugged him tighter, and that was how they stayed until the water ran cold.

 

***

 

Any of the CSIs would say that it was pretty damn stupid to hold up a bar with a gun you'd used to do a driveby the night before, but Warrick had been a CSI long enough to know that a good percentage of criminals were, in fact, pretty damn stupid.

 

It wasn't the first time he'd appreciated a criminal's stupidity; at least they were able to catch the guy, even if they couldn't go back in time and save Aimee. Finding him was a hollow victory, but it was better than knowing he was still out there, putting other people at risk.

 

"Then he proceeds to tell me how I better watch my back, 'cause it wouldn't be the first time tonight he killed somebody."

 

Warrick was listening to the owner's statement, but he was more interested in the perp. The guy looked familiar, but it wasn't until he heard the guy's name that he realized why. "Gene Jaycobs. I knew that kid, I went to school with him." Warrick shook his head. "He got kicked out."

 

Brass nodded, motioning for Warrick to join him in processing Jaycobs. Brass asked the questions, and Warrick put on his gloves to take a sample for GSR.

 

"Do I know you?"

 

Warrick ignored Jaycobs. Yeah, he knew him. Jaycobs was one of the guys who'd liked to beat on Warrick for being a dork in high school. He wasn't going to say that, though. That would be tantamount to admitting bias. Of course he was biased - Jaycobs had been a bully in high school, and he still was. But Warrick wasn't going to hurt their case by saying so. "Put your hands out in front of you."

 

"Oh, so it's like that, huh?"

 

It was nice to have the upper hand. God knew he hadn't had it when they'd gone to school together. "I can process this now. It would tell me if you've fired a gun in the last couple of hours." It was unfortunate that Jaycobs hadn't held up the tavern last night, but that was the sort of luck they couldn't hope for every time. "But I'm gonna take this back to the lab, let you sweat it out." Just like he'd done to everyone who cared about Aimee Phelps.

 

He dropped the sample with Greg, asking for the results asap but he didn't give any other instructions. Jaycobs might've been smart enough to wear gloves when he'd fired the gun; unlikely, but if he had, it wasn't the GSR that was going to catch him. They had to prove it was the same gun first. Which meant Warrick was on his way to the ballistics lab.

 

Grissom wasn't far behind, joining them not long after Bobby analyzed the test bullet. "Bingo," he said. "Your bullet came from that gun."

 

"You're sure," Grissom asked.

 

"Yeah, I'm sure."

 

Sometimes Warrick loved Bobby Dawson. "We got him."

 

***

 

Four hours and a visit with Matt Phelps later, Warrick discovered that wasn't the case. The DA believed Jaycobs' story that he'd found the gun behind a dumpster, given the miniscule amount of GSR on his hands and the fact that he had an alibi - even though his alibi was a damn junkie. Warrick didn't buy it, and he didn't buy that just because they'd been seen at a sports chalet around the time of the shooting, Jaycobs couldn't have been the doer.

 

The DA seemed to think that was enough not to waste time with charges, though, which was why Jaycobs was sashaying out of the crime lab and Warrick was trying to keep Matt from committing an assault on the man who'd killed his daughter. Personally, Warrick would've let him have at it, but it wasn't worth Matt going to jail, leaving alone the kids at the rec center and Matt's own son who still needed him.

 

At least he still had Jaycobs' car. There had to be something there that could prove Jaycobs was the guy they wanted. They couldn't match the paint transfer, but lo and behold, the back of Jaycobs' car was filled with the trophies that'd been stolen from Matt's display case a week ago.

 

"This guy's been in Matt's house." He could feel the sudden attention, the way everyone in the lab looked up to watch him presenting his findings to Grissom, but Grissom was the only one whose opinion mattered. He needed to talk some sense into Grissom, show him that this was proof Jaycobs had been in Matt's house, stolen his stuff, and a week later, killed his little girl. The shooting wasn't about a girl with a white boyfriend after all. Jaycobs had a grudge on Matt, and he'd taken it out on Aimee.

 

"What is this?"

 

He'd probably interrupted something, but that didn't stop Warrick from revealing the trophies he'd found, identifying each one as he did. "Matt's team won this three years ago; this trophy was given to the rec center last year. I found all this stuff in Jaycobs' car."

 

Grissom joined him by the evidence, looking at everything in that calm, maddeningly scientific way. "Well, if this is evidence, it needs to be tagged and catalogued."

 

Grissom expected him to waste time cataloguing evidence when Jaycobs was getting away? "This is the same guy who shot Matt's daughter in the head! He's walking around laughing at us."

 

"Can you prove that?"

 

Didn't he have the proof right there in front of him? "What is this? I've been putting guys away like this for years. And now that it matters, it's like you're holding me back here." It didn't make any sense. They had what they needed to put Jaycobs away, and Grissom was holding him back on policy.

 

"The job, Warrick, is to process evidence. Objectively, and without prejudice."

 

Without... without prejudice? How we he supposed to not be prejudiced against the guy who'd obviously offed Matt's daughter? How could Grissom act like this was just some case where human lives weren't at stake? "I'm so tired of hearing that. I've heard it a million times. I can't be like you. I'm not a robot, okay?" He knew he'd gone too far when he saw the look on Grissom's face. "I actually care about these people," he tried to explain, but it didn't do any good.

 

"You know what?" The calmness in Grissom's voice was about as ominous as it got. "You're not working on this case anymore. I'll have another assignment for you tomorrow."

 

He wasn't going to take that. There was no way he could fucking take on a new case when Aimee's killer hadn't been put away. "Keep it," he said angrily, grabbing the bag of evidence and storming out of Grissom's office. There was a mail cart in his way and he shoved it across the hall, freezing when he looked up to see Greg staring at him from the lab. Shit.

 

His day just kept getting worse.

 

***

 

Warrick sat on the bench in the locker room, staring at the phone in his hands. He could get Jaycobs' relocated address and he could find him, give Jaycobs a piece of his mind. It wouldn't accomplish anything since he wasn't on the case anymore, but damn, he was tempted.

 

"Hey."

 

Warrick spun around, dropping his cell on the bench beside him as he faced Greg. "Hey." What was Greg doing here? Why wasn't he in the lab? "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

 

"Aren't you supposed to not assault mail carts?"

 

Heh. Warrick closed his eyes, dropping his head. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to Greg. He didn't know if they should even be taking the risk of talking at work. But he'd already gotten himself kicked off the case. How much worse could it get?

 

He could lose his job. A perp's lawyer could find out that the lab tech responsible for analyzing the evidence was sleeping with the CSI who found the evidence, and it would be thrown out of court, and he'd lose his damn job. Greg could lose his job, too. Why the hell was he taking the risk?

 

"I'll take it easy on the mail carts from now on," he muttered.

 

Greg sighed, and came to sit next to him, facing the opposite way so that when he leaned back, he could look at Warrick's face. "It's not about that and you know it. What's going on, Warrick?"

 

Greg knew what was going on. Warrick had already explained it to him. "Matt's like family to me, Greg. I can't just let Jaycobs get away with it."

 

"No names," Greg reminded him. Yeah, good job, Warrick. Why not accidentally bias the lab tech while you're at it? "Is yelling at your boss gonna put the guy away?"

 

"No." It wasn't like he'd been thinking straight when he'd been showing Grissom the evidence. He was frustrated and pissed off, and he just wanted to put Jaycobs away. But Greg was right. Yelling and getting himself kicked off the case wasn't going to help. "Grissom kicked me off the case."

 

"You think?" Warrick looked sideways at Greg. He'd just seen Warrick's temper at its worst - well, at the worst Greg had seen it, anyway - and he didn't think anything of expressing just how ridiculous he thought Warrick was acting. "Hey." Greg's hand closed down on his arm, a simple touch that hopefully no one would observe. "Gris's on the case. He's the best. He'll put him away if he's the guy, and if not, he'll find out who it is."

 

"You don't know that," he argued, even though he appreciated the gesture. "Not all cases get solved, not even by us, by Grissom. Perps slip through our fingers all the time."

 

"Suspects," Greg corrected him. "Unless you saw him commit the crime, you don't know he's the perpetrator." Greg squeezed his arm. "This case won't go cold. We'll find him."

 

Warrick smiled. Only Greg would be so confident. "If you were working the case, I'd be more sure."

 

Greg chuckled. "Yeah, well, that's not likely to happen any time soon."

 

"Hm." Warrick glanced at Greg. "Why do you say that?"

 

"Oh, nothing." Greg's sigh indicated that it wasn't really 'nothing', though. "I've been trying to get in some field experience and I had the perfect chance tonight, but Nick brought Archie in the field instead of me. I mean, really. Archie? He's not gonna be a CSI."

 

"Yeah, well." Warrick suspected that it was Nick's attempt not to reveal their relationship, but he didn't say that. "Don't take it personally. And uh, shouldn't you be getting back to work?"

 

Greg nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. So - you don't think I should give Nick a hard time about it?"

 

Warrick smiled before he stood, climbing back over the bench to help Greg up. "You don't think I should assault mail carts?"

 

"Heh. Yeah, no." Greg looked around the locker room real quick, then bussed a kiss over Warrick's lips, so brief Warrick wasn't sure he'd imagined it. Which was probably for the best, since they didn't want to get caught. "Just - maybe if you apologize, Gris'll let you back on the case."

 

In an ideal world, maybe. What had Greg said about molecules that time? He couldn't remember, and didn't try to make anything up. "I don't think so. I pretty much announced my bias to the entire lab. I don't think it would help to have my name on the case file when this thing goes to court."

 

Greg smiled grimly. "Yeah, you're probably right. But hey - it couldn't hurt to apologize. Brownie points might come in handy later."

 

Warrick chuckled as they left the locker room together. As long as they weren't touching, it would just come off as two friends walking and talking. "What are brownie points, anyway?"

 

"I have no idea, but if they're special brownies, I'll take one." Greg laughed at Warrick's slightly suspicious look. "Never mind. Go talk to Grissom, kay? I'll see ya later." Warrick could only guess when 'later' would be, but he knew Greg couldn't be much more specific than that with people possibly listening. Shrugging to himself, Warrick made his way to Grissom's office. He wasn't a huge fan of admitting he was wrong, but it might be worth it to try it Greg's way. And who knew, maybe he could still contribute to the case.

 

***

 

Warrick intended to apologize to Grissom like he'd told Greg he would, but that was hard to do when Grissom wasn't even in the building anymore. He'd disappeared at some point during the last thirty minutes. Before asking everyone in the building where Grissom had gone, Warrick tried his cell, hoping Grissom would actually pick up.

 

And he did. "Warrick. Where are you?"

 

"I'm still in the lab. Where are you?"

 

Warrick couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard Grissom sigh in relief. "I'm checking the area around the dumpster where Jaycobs said he found the gun. Listen. You asked PD to look into a van that was stolen from the rec center?"

 

It only took him a few seconds to remember what Grissom was talking about. "Yeah?"

 

"PD called me to let me know they'd found it. I told them to deliver it directly to the garage." Grissom was speaking very precisely, enunciating each word. "Do you think you can process it, or have you already clocked out?"

 

"I'm still here." Grissom's comment that he'd have a new assignment for Warrick tomorrow had kind of indicated that he wouldn't be there for the rest of the shift, and after the way he'd stormed out, he wasn't surprised that Grissom had to ask if he'd clocked out or not. If anything, it was a surprise that Grissom was offering to let him process the van. "I can take care of it."

 

"Good." Warrick could hear Grissom talking to someone in the background, then Grissom was talking to him again. "This is your new assignment. And Warrick, I want to talk to you before you leave today."

 

Of course he did. "I'll be here."

 

***

 

The van had to be the best piece of evidence Warrick had processed in a long time. Not only could he possibly identify the person responsible for stealing the rec center's van, if the shell casings in the back of the van were any indication, he'd be able to identify Aimee's shooter, too. Not only that, but there was blue paint transfer on the front of the van - the same color as the mailbox that'd been knocked over during the shooting.

 

Something else was out of place, too. Warrick smirked to himself as he picked up a used lollipop stick. No way. It couldn't belong to anyone but the theif, because Matt didn't allow any eating in the van.

 

Warrick had two pieces of evidence to be processed; DNA from the lollipop stick for Greg, and the paint transfer for Hodges in trace. Grissom's evidence was what got them a name, though; a fingerprint Jacqui processed that connected the van thief to the gun that had been used in the shooting.

 

"Tyrel Constantine," Warrick read. It wasn't Jaycobs after all. Damn, Grissom was right. He' been rushing headlong into prosecuting Jaycobs and Jaycobs had nothing to do with the shooting. "Arrested last June for joyriding. Date of birth '87?" Warrick raised his eyebrows. He'd been all wrong. "This guy's a juvie. He's only fifteen."

 

***

 

Warrick waited in Grissom's office, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He'd been so sure it was Jaycobs. He'd lashed out at his boss. He'd wasted valuable time when he could've actually been doing something to find Constantine. And if it'd been Jaycobs, Warrick's abuse of the evidence might've gotten in the way of a successful prosecution.

 

And Matt. Grissom was with Brass at the station, doing the paperwork on Constantine. There would be a trial, and Matt would have to testify. He'd have to live through losing his daughter more than once to put Constantine away, and even then, he was under eighteen. He'd be out in a few years, especially since he'd probably get a plea for manslaughter. He hadn't meant to kill Aimee; he'd just wanted to scare Phelps, get back at him for kicking him out of the rec center because he'd been smoking weed on the field.

 

He hadn't meant for the bullets to hit anyone, but Jason Gilbert was in the hospital and Aimee Phelps was dead. No amount of prosecution would bring her back.

 

Grissom cleared his throat when he entered, alerting Warrick to his presence. Warrick sat up straighter, taking a deep breath and looking up. He knew he had to apologize; he just didn't know how. He was probably in for a lecture. Maybe a pay cut. Definitely a note on his file.

 

"Warrick..." Grissom closed the door slowly, then moved to sit behind his desk at the same pace. He seemed to be delaying looking at Warrick. If it was a tactic to make him nervous, it was working. "Our reasons for being here are inconsistent with the tasks we're required to perform."

 

That... was not what he expected to hear. He didn't even know what it meant. But he nodded, hoping Grissom would continue.

 

"We're here because we care about the victims, because we want justice for them. But in order to get that justice, we need to separate our feelings from the cases because if we let our emotions get involved, we compromise the evidence." Grissom steepled his hands under his chin. "Empathy is what makes us CSIs, but it's apathy from our own feelings that makes us successful CSIs."

 

Warrick sighed under his breath. "I know," he said. "I overreacted this morning, I know that. It won't happen again."

 

Grissom looked at him intently for several minutes before giving a slight nod. "Okay. But I'm recommending that you see a PEAP counselor about this incident."

 

"What?" Warrick shot out of his chair. He'd expected a lecture, not an order to see a shrink. Grissom just looked at him mildly until he sat down again.

 

"I can't just let this go, you know that. Look, it's a half hour session, you talk about what happened, and it's over. It's confidential, so only the counselor will be privy to whatever you decide to tell him or her. And if you give it a chance, it might even help."

 

"I don't need help," he muttered, trying to ignore the look of reproach from Grissom. "Fine. Whatever. I'll do it." He stood up again, hoping Grissom would let him leave. "Are we done here?" He'd gone in perfectly willing to apologize for the way he'd acted, but the idea of telling a shrink about his supposed problems was something else.

 

Grissom sighed. "I guess so." He started writing, and as Warrick walked out, he really hoped that wasn't his file. He didn't need comments about giving Grissom an attitude.

 

On second thought, he paused in the doorway. "How do I make an appointment?"

 

That looked a lot like a smirk on Grissom's face.

 

It was going to be a long day.


	40. Chapter 40  Awkward

  
Author's notes: He knows to expect the unexpected every once in a while. But twice in one day?  


* * *

Warrick hated paperwork. He was already agitated by the time he got to the doctor's office, and by the time he finished the paperwork, he was ready to go home. He just wanted to go home and spend time with Greg, forget about PEAP counselors and blood pressure.

 

"Warrick Brown?"

 

Warrick pushed up from the waiting room chair and approached the receptionist. "That's me."

 

"We're ready for you. If you just want to go down that hall and take a left. It's the last door on the right."

 

"Thanks." He didn't mean it, but he said it anyway. He really would've rather been anywhere else. Especially if that anywhere else included Greg.

 

"Warrick Brown..."

 

Warrick looked up at the thoughtful voice, doing a double take at the woman walking through the door. He knew her somehow. How did he know her? "That's me."

 

She smiled. "I knew I recognized that name." Warrick cocked his head, trying to remember where he'd seen her before. She must have seen the confusion on his face, because she laughed quietly, seeming amused. "I'm Dr. Moore. Hey, did Greg ever get that writing off his face?"

 

Writing on Greg's face? The only time he knew of Greg having writing on his face was at the Superbowl party... Oh. "Tina," he remembered. "It's - Jacqui didn't mention you're a doctor."

 

"I don't think formal introductions were ever made," she commented, her forehead creasing in frown lines as she looked down at the clipboard she was holding. "So, we're here for a physical, right?"

 

It was strange watching her switch into professional doctor mode, using 'we' instead of 'you'. "Well, I've been concerned about my blood pressure." That wasn't exactly the thought process he'd gone through to make the appointment, but it sounded better than Remember the guy at the party who was wrestling around with your girlfriend's coworker? He thinks I get upset too easily because I didn't want to date him because I'm in love with our mutual boyfriend. And I might have feelings for Nick, too, but that's too confusing to think about, so yeah, my blood pressure is pretty much through the roof.

 

"Let's see what we can find out," she said amiably, taking the stethoscope from where it was hanging around her neck. "Why don't you just take off your shirt, and I can check out your heartbeat. Do you know if there's any history of hypertension in your family?"

 

He'd known that question was coming. He shook his head as he removed his shirt, breathing in when she told him to. "Not that I know of. But I don't know my father's medical history, so I guess it's possible."

 

"Mmhm. Take another breath?" She listened to his heart in a few different places on his chest, then from the back, asking him to breathe each time. "Have you been under any kind of stress lately?"

 

He could lie, but that would defeat the purpose. He just wasn't sure he wanted to share his personal and professional problems with someone who was dating one of his coworkers, no matter how confidential it was supposed to be. "Look," he finally said. "Don't take this personally, but I think I'd rather talk to someone else."

 

***

 

It was the first time he'd used the key Greg had given him, mostly because they usually left work at around the same time, or Greg was already there by the time he showed up. Greg's driveway was empty. It was just as well; at least Greg wouldn't have to put up with his complaining for an hour, maybe more.

 

Warrick let himself in, smiling to himself as he toed off his shoes and locked the door behind him. It wasn't often that he was out of work before Greg, but he'd had to leave early for his doctor's appointment. Greg was probably just about done, and he'd be home soon.

 

He still wished there was a way for him and Greg to move in together, even though Greg was with Nick, too. Ideally, he'd rather move in with Greg than the other way around; he'd thought about it enough to know that. It would be a shame to dismantle Greg's careful setup, to not make use of the architecture he'd specifically had installed for his fishtanks. Warrick's place was more of a house than a home to him; the only place that felt like home was his music room in the basement, and it would be easy to move that into Greg's. Only if Greg was willing, of course. But Warrick knew he couldn't talk about living arrangements unless he took Nick into consideration. After all, he wouldn't like it if Nick and Greg moved in together without including him.

 

He got the feeling that they wouldn't be talking about anyone moving anywhere until they'd taken that next step in their relationship. Either he and Nick would start dating, or he'd take Greg up on his offer to participate in kissing or sex with both of them. It seemed inevitable now, a matter of 'when' instead of 'if'. He'd gotten pretty comfortable with that, he thought. If he hadn't, it might not just be the job contributing his blood pressure, which was the only thing he'd felt comfortable telling the second doctor. He was barely comfortable talking to Greg about their sex life, and Greg was his sex life. It was just too personal.

 

He bypassed the thought of making a pot of coffee. He didn't need to take in more caffeine when he was just going to sleep, hopefully to wake up with Greg in his arms. He just knew that it would be easier to fall asleep in Greg's bed than his own. He always slept better with Greg than alone, and maybe being surrounded by Greg's things would help him relax a little.

 

If he hadn't been so lost in his thoughts, he might have noticed the sounds coming out of the bedroom before he opened the door. He was lost in his thoughts, though, so the sight that greeted him was a complete surprise.

 

He came to a stop in the doorway, unable to look away. Nick was on his knees, his back to Warrick, Greg's ankles interlocked behind Nick's neck as Nick fucked him into the mattress. He should leave; he should close the door and walk away and drive home. But he was rooted to the spot by the sounds Greg was making, sounds that had addicted him the very first time he and Greg had slept together. And damn, Nick was a hell of a forceful top, and Greg seemed to love it.

 

He shouldn't be thinking about this. Shouldn't be watching and comparing himself to Nick, wondering if Greg liked being fucked by Nick better because Warrick was such a passive top. But Greg had never complained, he seemed to love everything Warrick did to him. He seemed to love this too, though.

 

Before he could do the right thing and leave, Greg spotted him. Greg's mouth was slack, his jaw jarring with each thrust of Nick's hips. Beautiful. A second later, Nick followed Greg's gaze to the door, his whole body stilling when he noticed Warrick. Underneath him, Greg whined, a sound so needy it went straight to Warrick's cock.

 

Fuck. Warrick stepped back and closed the door, blocking the image before he could do something stupid like try to join in. He might have imagined it, except that he could still hear them. It didn't sound like sex anymore, though. They'd probably stopped because he was there.

 

He felt terrible. He'd meant it when he told Greg he wouldn't want them to be interrupted. When you were in the middle of something like that, you didn't want to stop, and you didn't want anyone to walk in and see you at your most vulnerable. Warrick sighed and made his way to the front room, sinking down into the chair by the sofa. He knew they were going to come out, sooner if they just got dressed, later if they decided to clean up first. Either way, he knew they were going to have to talk.

 

He wasn't going to run away, though. That wouldn't do any good. They would have to talk about it eventually, and they might as well get it over with now. He was the one who'd walked in on them, and he owed it to both of them to at least apologize, something he hadn't had the state of mind to do when he'd been standing in the doorway.

 

Greg came out first, probably arranged so he'd get a chance to talk to Warrick privately. Warrick had never felt awkward around Greg before, but he did now. He did the only thing he could think of, which was apologize. "Greg, I'm sorry." That was always a good start. "I didn't see any cars in the driveway, so I didn't think anyone was here, I've just... had a really long morning and thought it would be easier..."

 

The look on Greg's face was clearly telling him to shut up. Gently, somehow. "Ricky, it's okay," he said quietly, using the name he only used when they were alone together. He sat on the arm of the couch, as close to Warrick as he could be without sitting in his lap. "Nick and I shared a cab from work, and decided to come back here. He knew you had the thing today, so we figured you'd just be going home after."

 

The thing. Right. The appointment to get his blood pressure checked. "I uh, I just wanted to see you." His face flushed when he realized how that sounded. "I mean, not like that, that was an accident. I didn't mean-"

 

"Ricky." Greg reached out to put a hand on his arm, making him jump. He couldn't help but wonder where Greg's hands had been. "It's okay, I promise. I just hope we didn't traumatize you too much." Greg smiled a little.

 

"No," he said honestly. "I- I was surprised, but I'm okay. I'm just sorry I interrupted."

 

Greg winked. "Don't worry, we'll live." Warrick couldn't believe how well Greg was taking this. Then again, Greg was the one who wanted to get interrupted by Nick. Getting interrupted by Warrick was probably another wet dream of his.

 

He could hear Nick moving around in the kitchen; he must have gone in the other way, because Warrick hadn't seen him. Nick was probably making coffee so they could talk. "If you want, I could leave, so you could, uh, you know." Continue.

 

"Trust me, I'm good." Greg smiled, slipping down from the arm of the couch to sit on the cushion, reaching across to take Warrick's hand. To make it easier for Greg, Warrick got up from the chair to sit beside him, taking the middle cushion for himself. "How'd your appointment go? Is everything okay?"

 

Warrick shrugged. It was all relative. "Well, Nick was right." He looked up as Nick entered the room, a cup of coffee in each hand. He passed one to Warrick, then one to Greg, leaning down to whisper in Greg's ear.

 

Greg rolled his eyes, motioning for Warrick to scoot down so Greg could sit in the center, then reached up and pulled Nick down to sit on his other side. "You're not going anywhere, Mister," he murmured, giving Nick a significant look. Ah; so Nick had been asking Greg if he should leave. "We're all adults here. Warrick doesn't mind if you stay, right, Warrick?"

 

It wasn't like Greg was giving him a choice, but Warrick didn't mind that much. They did need to talk, even if he did feel awkward about trying to look Nick in the eye. "If anyone should be leaving, it's me."

 

"Nobody is leaving," Greg said firmly, turning to look at Warrick. "I know you didn't want to interrupt, but now that you have, it's not like Nick and I are about to jump back into bed." Behind Greg, Nick was blushing. At least Warrick wasn't the only one. "Now, you were saying... Nick was right?"

 

Nick was still blushing, but now there was some amusement in his expression, too. Warrick tried not to roll his eyes. "About my blood pressure. I have high blood pressure."

 

"Shocker," Nick muttered. Greg elbowed him. "Sorry."

 

Warrick sighed. "It's fine."

 

"You have high blood pressure," Greg repeated, sounding concerned. "How high is it?"

 

"One-twenty over ninety-something. Apparently it's caused by stress."

 

"Do you think it could be higher than usual because of what happened this morning?" Greg asked logically.

 

"That's what the doctor seems to think, except he's pretty sure it's ongoing. Well, that's what the second doctor said, anyway."

 

"You got a second opinion?"

 

Warrick was confused for a second, then he remember he hadn't told them about what had happened. "Actually, I asked for a different doctor. The first one was Tina."

 

"Tina?" Greg raised his eyebrows. "Wait, not Tina as in Jacqui's girlfriend?"

 

Warrick nodded. "That Tina."

 

"No way." Greg looked extremely amused. "Small world."

 

"Yeah, well." Warrick shrugged. "She was asking all kinds of personal questions. I didn't want to say anything that might get back to Jacqui."

 

Greg nodded understandingly. Behind him, Nick had stretched his arm along the back of the couch, leaning forward to look at Warrick around Greg. "What happened this morning?"

 

Hm. So Greg hadn't mentioned it to Nick. Warrick sighed. "I got into a fight with a mail cart and Grissom kicked me off the case. I was taking it a little too personally."

 

Nick smiled smugly, shaking his head slightly. "What did I say? You take everything personally."

 

That had been months ago. How did Nick even remember that? "Like I said, you were right," he said grudgingly. "And now Grissom wants me to talk to a PEAP counselor about it." It was hard to believe they were sitting here calmly talking about work not long after he'd caught Nick and Greg having sex, but what was he supposed to do? Dwell on it? Not answer Greg's questions? At least they weren't discussing what Warrick had seen. He wasn't ready to talk about that in detail yet. "I said I'd go and get it over with."

 

"Don't knock it till you've tried it." Warrick would've expected to hear something like that from Greg, not Nick. Warrick raised his eyebrows, waiting for Nick to explain himself. "Gil made me go after we arrested Nigel Crane. I didn't want to, but it was easier than arguing, and it actually helped. I still go once a week. It really helps, especially after some of the harder cases."

 

Warrick frowned thoughtfully. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of sharing his personal problems with a shrink, but Nick had never struck him as the kind of guy who talked about personal stuff with just anyone, either. "It's not..."

 

"Weird?" Nick shook his head. "Weird is-"

 

Greg reached back to clap a hand over Nick's mouth. "Don't even say it," he warned. Warrick had no idea what Nick had been going to say, unless he'd been planning to mention the incident not thirty minutes ago. In which case Warrick was glad Greg had stopped him.

 

"Look, maybe I should go." Because it was weird. It was weird that he wasn't freaked out by it, and it was weird that they could act like nothing could happen. Or at least, Greg could. Nick still seemed to be thinking about it.

 

This time, Greg actually considered what he'd said. "Do you want to leave?" He sounded disappointed, but not like he was about to force Warrick to stay if he wasn't comfortable. And he wasn't.

 

He knew what would happen. He'd go home, and he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about what he'd seen. He'd either overanalyze it or jerk off thinking about it, or both, and he didn't want to do either. But if he stayed here, the reminder was even stronger.

 

Going home would probably give him a better chance of being able to face Nick later. He just needed time. That was all. "I think I do," he admitted. "I'm sorry. I should've called before I came over."

 

The disappointment on Greg's face was more telling than the agreeable nod. "Okay. If you're sure." They stood up together, Greg's hand slipping into his as they walked to the door together, Nick sitting awkwardly alone on the couch. When they reached the door, Greg took both of Warrick's hands in his, stroking his fingers lightly as he looked up at Warrick. "I do understand," he said quietly, tilting his face up to brush a kiss against Warrick's lips. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

 

Warrick nodded, realizing that Greg hadn't said tonight because it was Greg's night off. It should be, at least. He hadn't had a night off since before the party. "I'll come over after work."

 

"And I'll be here," Greg said with a smile. That he would be alone was implied, because Warrick knew Greg wouldn't put him in an awkward position if he could avoid it. If Nick was going to be over, Greg would warn him. "Drive safe, babe," he murmured, curling his fingers in Warrick's as he kissed him one more time. He was lingering, Warrick knew. Greg didn't want him to leave, but he wouldn't ask him to stay.

 

"Hm," he murmured. He could offer to stay on the couch or in the spare room, but it wasn't like Nick would be comfortable having sex with Greg if Warrick was in the other room. He'd be fidgety with Greg, and Greg would feel bad because he'd feel like he was choosing between the two of them. He wanted to offer to stay, but short of joining them both in bed, staying wouldn't do any of them any good. So he dropped one last kiss on Greg's lips, then reluctantly pulled away. "I will," he promised, avoiding looking at Nick when he slipped out the door. He didn't know if he'd done the right thing or not.

 

He had a lot to think about. He just wished there was someone neutral he could talk to about it.


	41. Chapter 41  Sleep

  
Author's notes: In the aftermath of Aimee Phelps' funeral, Warrick calls on his friends.  


* * *

By the beginning of the next week, things were almost back to normal between Warrick and Greg. They hadn't had sex since he'd seen Nick and Greg together, but that wasn't the reason. He'd had a lot on his mind between the job and the doctor's visit and the end of the Phelps case.

 

They'd spent Friday morning together, having breakfast and then going to bed early since he'd agreed to be at Cath's right after Lindsey got home from school to watch the rest of the game. It was Greg's second night off in a row, so when he'd gone to work after, he only had a chance to see Nick, which didn't last long enough for them to have a serious talk since he and Sara had to rush out to a crime scene in the desert.

 

PEAP counseling was Monday morning, directly followed by Aimee's service. All in all, it was a somber morning, and Warrick was relieved to finally be able to go home to Greg's. Not home; Greg's home, but it felt more and more like home to him every day.

 

Greg must have been waiting up for him, because Warrick found him on the couch, his body slouched forward in sleep. Warrick smiled, dropping his keys on the table and toeing off his shoes before he went to join Greg on the couch.

 

Greg nuzzled right into his arms, not even waking up at first. Warrick hated to interrupt his sleep, but he knew Greg would regret it later if he woke up sore from sleeping sitting up like this. "Hey," he whispered, rubbing his hand over Greg's shoulder. "Wanna go to bed?"

 

"Hmmh." Greg woke up slowly, gradually realizing what was happening. He rubbed at his eyes as he sat up, then reached out to smooth down Warrick's tie. Warrick knew Greg liked how he looked in a suit, but he wouldn't say so considering the circumstances. "You okay?"

 

Greg wouldn't ask how Aimee's service was, either, because that was a given. Sad, depressing, a reminder of the loss of a young life and a father who'd never be able to hold his baby again. "Yeah," he sighed, putting his hand over Greg's as he stood up. "I'm just glad it's over with." It wasn't over for Matt, Warrick was well aware of that, but for all intents and purposes, Warrick's involvement with the case was over. Given how long it'd been since he'd visited his old neighborhood until the shooting, he doubted he'd be seeing Matt again any time soon. He'd make donations to the rec center when he could, but other than that, he had his own life to focus on now.

 

Greg nodded sympathetically, remaining silent as they walked to the bedroom together. There wasn't much they could say at a time like this. For Warrick, it was a time of reflection, a time of mourning for his friend's loss and for counting his blessings. Greg was the only particular blessing he cared about at this moment; everything else could wait, and Greg seemed to understand that, because he didn't ask about work or the counseling or how things were going with Nick.

 

For now, he just needed to fall asleep with Greg in his arms, the comfort he felt by being with Greg something to hold onto, a reminder of the good in the world when they dealt with so much evil on a daily basis.

 

It wasn't fair. Warrick got to hold onto Greg and Nick had to sleep alone. Nick, the person who'd first told him that, that there was so much hate in the world and they needed to grab onto whatever love they could find. Warrick wanted Nick here, too, because today, it didn't feel right to make anyone miss out if they didn't have to.

 

"Greg," he murmured, "it okay if we ask Nick to stay with us today?"

 

Greg looked both surprised and sympathetic, not ecstatic the way Warrick had always expected him to be when Warrick finally decided to have Nick join them in bed. Then again, he hadn't pictured it happening under these circumstances. "Sure," Greg said quietly, rolling out of bed to get Warrick's cell from his jacket. He didn't have to do that; Warrick would've gotten it himself. Greg even went ahead to make the call, his tone soft as he spoke to Nick, who had probably already been sleeping. After Greg had explained what was going on, though, it probably didn't make a difference. Nick would've been the first person to be there for Warrick even if they hadn't been dating Greg. Warrick was glad he had their friendship; right now, that was even more important to him than everything else they meant to each other.

 

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. They were both in the living room already, waiting for Nick to arrive. Greg let Warrick answer the door, since Nick was really here for him instead of Greg. They embraced in the doorway, Nick murmuring I'm sorry as they hugged, then slipped his arm around Greg's shoulders when he joined them.

 

It should have felt more like a huge step, but to Warrick, it just felt like two friends being there to hold him through bad times. They put him in the middle, Greg facing Warrick as he held him, Nick at Warrick's back, nothing untoward in his touch. Being in bed with the two of them seemed appropriate and natural. That was a surprise too, but he knew things might be different once he was back to his old self and they had to discuss the possibility of more than just sleeping.

 

It was just sleeping for now, though, and Warrick slept better than he possibly could have alone.


	42. Chapter 42  Waking Up

  
Author's notes: Warrick reflects on the day he's spent with his lover and his lover's lover.  


* * *

There was something novel about waking up between two men. There was the impersonal enjoyment, knowing that two men liked and wanted him enough to sleep with him, feeding his ego and doing a damn good job of eliminating any insecurities he had left over. Gene Jaycobs had been a reminder of what high school had been like, Nerd Brown with his thick glasses, introverted demeanor, and big shoes that made him look clunky and clumsy to his classmates rather than providing the more flattering response of You know what they say about guys with big feet.

 

He'd started working out in high school, hoping to at least defend himself against bullies who always took his lunch money or just knocked him down for the fun of it. There hadn't been any girlfriends for him in high school, or boyfriends either, but at the time he'd been more concerned with his own lack of appeal than in figuring out who exactly he was attracted to. Back then, he would've taken just about anyone he could get. Which had added up to a grand total of zero romances and lays until he'd gotten to college, when he'd traded in his glasses for contacts and the rest of his body started catching up with his feet.

 

There was the physical enjoyment, too, that had nothing to do with who the two men in bed with him were. Body warmth, comfort, his senses assaulted with their distinctive scents, the quiet sound of Nick's breathing complementing Greg's gentle snores, and of course, when he opened his eyes, the attractive sight of Greg's face next to his.

 

But even better than the egoistic and physical enjoyment that came from being in bed with two men was the connection that he had with each of them. Coworkers first, friends second, lovers third, only now his loyalty first went to them as friends and second to Greg as a lover. Nick was Greg's lover, which meant that Warrick owed him a certain loyalty too; what might have once been the opposite of his assumption that the lover of his lover was his enemy. He didn't feel that way at all anymore. Nick was an ally, someone who made Greg happy when Warrick couldn't be there, and made Greg twice as happy when Warrick was already there. Greg's happiness was first and foremost to Warrick, and Nick's was close behind. Maybe one day they'd be equal, and Warrick knew that day was getting closer by the minute.

 

Behind him, he could sense Nick starting to wake up, the rhythm of his breathing changing slightly. Warrick was pretty sure why Nick wasn't moving yet; he was probably trying to figure out if Warrick was awake or not, because there was a hardon pressing into his thigh. Warrick didn't read anything into that; Nick probably woke up hard even when he was alone. It was just natural and there was no reason for Warrick to think Nick meant anything by it. And even if he did, Warrick knew Nick wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable. That was why Nick was hesitating. Warrick could feel it in the tension in his body.

 

A few minutes later, the alarm went off and Nick rolled away to turn it off, then slipped out of bed almost silently, walking around to go in the bathroom. Warrick heard him take a leak and then turn on the shower, the shower curtain rings rattling as Nick pulled it closed.

 

The brief shriek of the alarm had stirred Greg, who slipped his arms all the way around Warrick's waist now that Nick's body wasn't in the way of him holding Warrick as closely as he usually did. Warrick smiled to himself, dropping a kiss on Greg's lips to wake him up even more.

 

"Hey," Greg murmured sleepily, sliding a hand up Warrick's back, over his shoulder and then down his arm. "How'd you sleep?"

 

"Mm, excellent," he murmured back, leaning down to kiss Greg a little more deeply this time. "You?"

 

"Well, I got to sleep with the two hottest guys in Vegas," Greg pondered, "so I'd have to say it was pretty awesome."

 

Warrick chuckled, scratching his nails lightly over Greg's lower back. Greg was turned on, too, but it wasn't just from waking up. Warrick wished he was brave enough to go ahead and just do what he wanted with Greg without being self-conscious of Nick in the shower, but he was. That didn't mean Greg couldn't enjoy himself, though. "One of those guys is taking a shower right now," Warrick pointed out. "Maybe he wants some help washing his back." Yes, he was suggesting that Greg go in the shower and take care of himself and Nick with Warrick right in the next room. He didn't know why that should be easier than participating himself, but it was.

 

Greg's lips parted, but he didn't say anything for a while. He looked a little stunned. "Are you sure? I mean - no, I don't want to do that," he said unconvincingly. Right. He didn't want to get Nick off knowing Warrick was in the next room.

 

"Don't wanna wash Nick's back, or don't wanna enjoy yourself with him?" It was a corny way to put it, but Warrick had never been one for talking about sex in detail. Doing it was fine; it was talking about it that made him blush.

 

Greg studied Warrick's face intensely, probably looking for some sign that Warrick was just kidding with him. Warrick could tell Greg liked the idea; then again, just because Greg did didn't mean Nick would. Nick had pretty much frozen in place when he'd seen Warrick the other day. "I don't wanna leave you," Greg finally said.

 

Warrick smiled slightly. "Yeah, I know. It's okay." He didn't argue it, because he wasn't going to convince Greg to go join Nick in the shower just to have Greg find out that Nick wasn't comfortable doing that with Warrick in the bedroom. Warrick hugged Greg closer, resting his cheek against Greg's hair. He knew now he wouldn't be getting off until Nick and Greg left for work; it didn't feel right doing something with Greg while Nick was in the shower, probably ready to return any minute. On the one hand, it would give Nick the chance to get back at Warrick for interrupting him and Greg, but maybe Nick didn't want that. Warrick wasn't going to be the one to take a step that would make anyone uncomfortable. He was following Greg and Nick's lead now, and if Greg didn't feel comfortable going in the shower with Nick, then Greg wouldn't feel comfortable being with Warrick while Nick was right there.

 

Warrick was a traditionalist when it came to sex. But for Warrick, there was a certain progression for sex in a relationship; he rarely did more than kiss on a first date, and if it did turn into more than that, it wouldn't be anything more than a handjob or frottage like his first time with Greg. He'd tried kissing Greg, of course, but since that hadn't worked the first time, he'd taken what Greg would give. Handjobs and frottage were followed by blowjobs, then fucking, and there were probably even more steps that Greg knew about and had experience with and Warrick didn't.

 

Warrick's experience was very basic relative to what was out there, he knew; Greg would probably call it vanilla. Whatever it was called, that was why he wasn't ready to make the leap to sex with Nick and Greg until they'd had a chance to kiss and get comfortable with that level of intimacy. Ever since his talk with Nick had convinced him to attempt to kiss Greg, he'd gained an even greater appreciation for taking things slow. Kissing could be savored and enjoyed just as much as sex, and Warrick wasn't going to rush into anything. He wanted to talk to Nick about it some time, see if Nick felt the same way. Maybe tomorrow, after Nick and Greg got back from work, they could continue the conversation they'd started and never finished about how they would organize their time.

 

He really wanted to finish that conversation, because it had felt so good to fall asleep and wake up with both of them that he didn't think he wanted to sleep alone anymore, and he didn't want to make Nick have sleep alone, either. He wasn't sure what kind of arrangement they'd come up with, but that was why they needed to talk about it. To figure it all out.

 

"Seriously, though," he murmured, "Grissom gave me the night off because he knew the funeral would go into the afternoon. I was gonna sleep in till you got out of the shower."

 

Greg pulled back just enough to look up at Warrick, a teasing smile on his face. "Then you'll get more time to sleep if I take my shower after Nick," he said logically. Warrick would have to admit that Greg had a point.

 

"Mkay," he conceded, bending his head to nuzzle Greg's cheek, then his neck. "'ve missed you," he murmured as he brushed kisses over Greg's neck, his movements slow so he could breathe Greg in as he kissed him. "Sorry've been so far away these past few days." He meant emotionally, of course, and he knew Greg would understand that.

 

"Mmm, 'sokay." Greg rolled onto his back then, arching his neck to give Warrick better access, reaching up to comb his fingers through Warrick's hair. He was enjoying it, but Warrick knew Greg wasn't urging him for more; the decision had already been made. If Warrick had felt comfortable making Greg or both of them come, he would've just done that instead of suggesting that Greg join Nick in the shower. Greg knew him well enough to know that. "You've had a lot on your mind."

 

"Mmhm," he agreed, parting his lips to suck on the juncture of Greg's neck and shoulder, pressing his teeth lightly against Greg's skin. He was starting something even though he didn't intend to finish it; just giving Greg something to think about in the shower. Greg wouldn't be able to resist, turned on and knowing that Nick and Warrick were in the next room. And it would give Warrick something to think about when he was left alone in Greg's bed on his night off.

 

The bathroom door creaked open slowly, and when Warrick looked up, Nick was peering cautiously around the doorframe. Warrick didn't blame him.

 

Nick was dressed, wearing the same clothes he'd had on this morning. Warrick didn't think it was the same thing he'd been wearing to work, though, so he must have changed before he'd come over. Which would make sense, since they'd woken him up in the middle of the afternoon.

 

"Hey," Greg said, sounding a little breathless. Warrick pressed one more kiss to his neck, then pulled back and held himself up on one elbow. "Shower free?"

 

"Yeah." Nick smiled as Greg pushed himself up, turning back to kiss Warrick on the mouth before he slipped out of bed and went over to kiss Nick. Nick put his hands lightly on Greg's hips, lingering a little in the kiss. "I'll start the coffee."

 

"Excellent." Greg gave Nick one more kiss before he went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Warrick watched the exchange between the two of them curiously, wondering if this was how they interacted every evening when they woke up together. Well, probably not. They probably showered together, probably had sex before or during the shower. Maybe not every night; it wasn't like Warrick had sex with Greg every time he spent the day. On those days, when they didn't have sex, they were probably just like this, sharing kisses and chores between getting ready for work. Pretty close to the way Greg and Warrick were together.

 

"You want some coffee or you goin' back to sleep?"

 

"Goin' back to sleep," he murmured, then scooted to sit up against the headboard by the side of the bed, holding his hand out to Nick. Nick looked a little confused, but he stepped forward to take Warrick's hand. "Thanks for coming over today."

 

The confused look was abandoned for a big grin, smile lines breaking out all over Nick's face. "Hey, no problem. Glad I could be here."

 

"Me too," Warrick said sincerely, then continued hesitantly, "maybe we could do it again tomorrow."

 

Nick nodded thoughtfully, his smile softening. "Yeah, I think I'd like that." There was no wondering how Nick felt about it. He'd liked it as much as Warrick, and he didn't seem to mind that Warrick would be there again in addition to Greg.

 

Warrick had a good feeling about the next morning.


	43. Chapter 43  Nurturer

  
Author's notes: Greg takes care of Warrick, in more ways than one.  


* * *

As it turned out, they didn't talk the next morning, or the morning after that, or for the rest of the week. They did spend every day together, though, eating and sleeping and talking about work together, Warrick and Nick alternating between showering alone and with Greg. Nick and Warrick did shower together on one ocassion, but not at Greg's house; it was at the crime lab after they'd spent several hours sifting through garbage. Obviously, they didn't get as close as they could have if it had been a private shower, but it made Warrick start to wonder what it would be like to shower alone with Nick. It wasn't the first time he'd thought something like that, but it was the first time it seemed feasible.

 

Saturday morning was the first time they didn't follow the routine they'd fallen into of all going to Greg's place after work. Warrick had to work a double, while Greg and Nick got out at the usual time. He used his break to talk to them in the locker room. "I'm gonna be a few more hours," he said. "Why don't you just go without me?" They would have to, of course, but Warrick meant for the day.

 

"You coming over later?" Greg asked, and Warrick shook his head.

 

"You two need some time alone." Warrick kept his voice low in case anyone was listening near the door. Throughout the week, he'd gotten the feeling that Nick wasn't ready to start anything while he was there, just like Warrick was reluctant to do anything while Nick was there until he'd had a chance to be with Nick separately. As soon as they both had the same night off, it was going to happen, but until then, Warrick might as well give them this opportunity to be alone together. He knew there was more to their relationships with Greg than the sex, but he missed it and he was sure Nick did too. If he gave Nick this chance to have Greg to himself, maybe Nick would return the favor some other morning.

 

***

 

He got his wish three mornings later. Nick had a court date, which meant he'd be busy well into the afternoon. It also meant he had the night off. Unfortunately, he was the only one of the three of them with the night off, but Warrick had no complaints at the moment because Greg had him pinned against the door. They hadn't even gotten their shoes off.

 

Apparently, even short periods of abstinence made Greg really horny. Before any of them had known the whole story, going without sex had just made Greg pissy in the lab. Now, though, he knew he was free to take what he wanted, with no consequences for kissing or accidentally bringing up his other lover.

 

And Greg was definitely taking what he wanted.

 

Warrick slid his fingers into Greg's hair, guiding the kiss as Greg guided his hips, Greg's hands tucked into the waistband of his jeans, pulling him close. Warrick pulled back with his hips, not to get away from Greg but to make Greg get closer to him, his hands migrating down to cup Greg's ass as Greg thrust against him to maintain contact. Greg's fingers were trapped between their bodies, but that didn't stop the kiss and it didn't stop Greg from struggling with Warrick's pants despite the limited space he had to navigate.

 

As much as Greg loved to kiss, and as much as Warrick loved to kiss him, he knew where it was going when Greg's kisses wandered down to his neck, then the part of his chest that was exposed by the open top buttons on his shirt. Warrick let go of Greg's ass at the same time Greg abandoned his pants to get to work on unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, Greg's mouth following the path of his fingers. Warrick took a heavy breath and dropped his head back against the door. It'd been too long. Way too long.

 

Greg was murmuring against his chest, an incoherent ramble between breaths as more and more of Warrick's skin was exposed. Warrick sucked in a breath when Greg tugged his shirt out of his jeans, letting his fingers brush teasingly against Warrick's cock as he undid the last few buttons. Warrick leaned into it, and Greg let him, leaning back up to kiss Warrick on the mouth as he raised his hands to shove Warrick's shirt off his shoulders.

 

"You're too dressed," Warrick gasped, but Greg just put a hand over his mouth, shaking his head. When Greg licked his lips, Warrick could only stare, the pulse in his cock steady and strong, the friction from his boxers maddeningly itchy compared to the smoothness of Greg's skin. Warrick stopped struggling to get out of his shirt all the way, too interested in what Greg would do if he didn't do anything to contribute. And the way he was standing, with his arms trapped behind his back, cuffed by the sleeves of his shirt, there wasn't a thing he could do. It wasn't planned, but it was fucking hot, and the way Greg's eyes flashed, Greg must've thought so too.

 

Lowering his eyes, Warrick pressed a kiss to Greg's palm, their play moving from fast and desperate to gentle and sensuous in a single moment. Smiling softly, Greg took his hand from Warrick's mouth to cup his cheek, leaning in to press his lips softly against Warrick's, a whisper of a kiss that grew steadily more hungry.

 

"Mmm," Greg moaned, cupping Warrick's face with both hands. Warrick sucked at Greg's lips, twisting his wrists until his hands were free again, then brought his arms around to encircle Greg's lower back. Greg thrust lazily against him, his tongue slipping into Warrick's mouth for a too-brief moment before Greg started kissing down his chest again. His heart beating rapidly, Warrick struggled to control his breathing, knowing that it would get harder to breathe before it got easier.

 

Greg's hands were at his jeans again, unzipping them all the way and pushing them down Warrick's thighs. Warrick wiggled closer to Greg, his pants pooling around his ankles and he quickly toed off his shoes, kicking them and then his pants to the side. Warrick's heart sped up even more when Greg started to kneel, the back of his hand ghosting over the front of Warrick's boxers.

 

Greg was still dressed, and Warrick was completely naked against the front door. It was an unusual position for him to be in, but he wasn't about to change a single thing. Warrick threaded his fingers through Greg's hair, tilting Greg's face back so Warrick could look down at him. Greg smiled, turning into Warrick's touch, pausing in his progress for a moment. Then Greg shifted forward, tucking Warrick's shirt under his knees as he tugged Warrick's boxers down. In an instant he had his lips wrapped around Warrick's cock, bare skin to bare lips.

 

Greg seemed to realize it at the same time he did. Pulling back quickly, Greg bent his head down, checking his pockets for condoms until he finally found one. Warrick breathed a sigh of relief, glad he wouldn't have to move from the position he'd grown so fond of in the last few minutes.

 

His cock jerked in Greg's hands, too long neglected by anything other than Warrick's own fingers. Greg's touch was more than welcome, even with the layer of latex between their skin. Better to be safe than sorry, and it wouldn't be long until there would be nothing between them. Only six more weeks until their probationary period was up.

 

Warrick slipped one hand from Greg's hair to pinch the base of his cock, determined to make this last at least a few minutes. It wasn't often he got so hot and bothered from a simple almost-blowjob, but ever since it had started to sink in just how much Greg wanted him, and only him and Nick, not other random guys, he'd responded a lot more enthusiastically to Greg's touch. So enthusiastically that he was afraid it would be over before it started.

 

Greg was looking up at him, stroking Warrick's hips and thighs. Trying to get him to relax, the way Greg did, the way Greg was so in tune to the tension of anticipation running through his body. Warrick took a shaky breath and smiled down at Greg, smoothing Greg's hair back with both hands as he attempted to steady himself. His pulse was racing, and he couldn't help but think about what the doctor had told him about guys with high blood pressure. They were more than twice as likely as men without high blood pressure to have erectile dysfunction. Warrick didn't want that.

 

He closed his eyes at the firm strokes Greg was administering to his cock, steady, strong hands relaxing him and exciting him at the same time. Warrick sank back against the door, his fingers clenching in Greg's hair at the first touch of Greg's mouth to his cock. He could swear he could still feel Greg's saliva under the condom, didn't know if it was really there and didn't care. Greg's lips were wrapped around his cock, one hand stroking while the other was pressed flat against Warrick's abdomen, pinning him to the door. A moment later, the tension returned, only to be released when Greg took him in halfway.

 

Greg's fingers curled against his stomach, fingernails scraping as Greg caught up with the sudden orgasm. Warrick was spent, Greg's gentle sucks and licks not quite too much yet, just right. Damn.

 

"Damn," Greg muttered, lifting his eyes to Warrick's and leaning back, resting his hands on his thighs. "That was fast."

 

That was for sure. It was a first, too, because he hadn't come from just a blowjob in almost ten years. "Yeah," he agreed, giving Greg a lopsided grin as he collapsed against the door. "You're good." His voice was hoarse, his boxers were around his ankles, and he was standing there with a limp cock in a full condom, but he didn't care. He just felt too damn good to be self-conscious.

 

Greg seemed pleased with Warrick's compliment, smiling up at him before he pushed off onto his feet. Then he took Warrick's hand and without a word, started leading him to the bedroom.

 

Not the bedroom, actually; Greg bypassed the bed and brought him straight into the bathroom, closing the seat on the toilet and putting a folded towel over it. When Greg got a washcloth and moved to the sink, Warrick guessed he was supposed to sit, so he did, waiting to see what would happen next.

 

Greg knelt down in front of him, setting the wet washcloth on the sink. He trailed his hands up Warrick's thighs to his stomach, then peeled the condom away from Warrick's cock, making a painstaking effort to contain as much of the mess as possible as he removed the condom and eventually tied it off, tossing it in the trash by the toilet. Warrick relaxed, mentally shaking his head at how careful Greg was being with him. This wasn't necessary, none of it was, but there was something so loving about the way Greg was cleaning him up that he didn't even think of protesting.

 

The washcloth came next, wiping away the residue that hadn't gone with the condom. It had been long enough since his orgasm that the friction of the washcloth didn't irritate him, and recent enough that it didn't turn him on, either. Dropping the washcloth in the tub, Greg then reached for a dry washcloth, gently patting Warrick's cock until it was dry. Warrick had never seen anything like this. Most of his partners, even Greg, lost interest in his cock after the sex was over; Warrick didn't blame them or Greg, because he did the same thing. A soft cock wasn't nearly as attractive as a hard one, and cleanup was usually tedious at best. But Greg was making a morning out of it.

 

"There you go," Greg announced cheerfully, standing up and pulling Warrick up from the toilet, unfolding the towel and then wrapping it around Warrick's waist, tucking the corner in by his hip. Warrick allowed himself to be taken care of, secretly enjoying it even though he would never ask this of Greg. The fact that Greg did it on his own made it more touching, and made Warrick reconsider the way he acted the next time he got Greg off. Which would hopefully be soon.

 

"Thanks," he murmured, slipping his arms around Greg's waist. They stood with their foreheads together, Greg's smile dominating his face. Warrick grinned. "What about you?"

 

"I'm fine," Greg insisted, looping his arms around Warrick's neck. "I'm trying to work on my stamina. Besides, it's nowhere near time for bed." Since the three of them had started sleeping together, they'd all started falling asleep around the same time. It was definitely a compromise; Warrick and Greg were used to going to bed between noon and one, while Nick usually stayed up until four. The three of them had started falling asleep around two and getting up at ten, synchronizing their schedules with each other. "And I thought maybe we could do a progress report."

 

"Progress report, huh?" He was pretty sure Greg was talking about their relationship, and the way Greg said it, it didn't sound ominous. "How do we do that?"

 

"Well," Greg said thoughtfully, "we just sit down and talk about how things are going, kinda like counseling. Hey, how was PEAP yesterday?"

 

"It was fine." Warrick's answer was less than enthusiastic, but he had to admit that Nick was right about it being helpful to get some things off his chest, even if it was only about the job. After all, he'd made a second appointment. He hadn't dared mention his relationships with Greg and Nick, even in the abstract, but he had managed to vent about some of the cases that really made him question his faith in humanity. "I'm going again next week."

 

"Cool." They were in the bedroom now, and Greg was rummaging around in the dresser. "Want something to wear?" When Warrick nodded, Greg picked out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for him to wear, telling Warrick to get dressed while Greg cleaned up his clothes by the door. Warrick did better than that, slipping into the kitchen to start the coffee while Greg tossed his clothes in the washer. He'd have to change later for work, but he was all set for now. "Omelets?"

 

Warrick looked over at Greg, who'd joined him in the kitchen. "Sure." They did have to eat, after all, and now that Greg mentioned it, he was kind of hungry. Greg had distracted him, and Warrick hoped to distract Greg soon, but for the moment, they could eat and talk. It would be nice to finish the morning in bed, where they could fall asleep after they'd tired themselves out.

 

They ate at the kitchen table, sitting next to each other and not speaking. When they were finished, neither of them made a move to start clearing the dishes. Greg pushed his chair back, shifting around to face Warrick. "So." Greg smiled a little nervously, reaching out to put his hand over Warrick's. Warrick smiled, turning his hand over in Greg's. "It's been a while since we've had some time to ourselves."

 

It was more of a question than a statement. Greg needed reassurance, and fortunately, Warrick could give that to him. "Yeah," he agreed. "I've missed this. But I haven't minded having Nick here, either."

 

"Yeah?" Greg's smile was a little cautious, a little hopeful, as if he wasn't quite sure Warrick could be happy with both. But he was, and he needed to convince Greg of that.

 

"Yeah," he said softly, not taking his eyes from Greg's. "I've always liked spending time with Nick, and getting to spend time with you and Nick is having the best of both worlds. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate having one-on-one time with you, though."

 

Greg's smile widened. "Ditto." Warrick laughed, his smile softening when Greg leaned forward to kiss him. Their hands fell onto their knees as they kissed, the happiness on Greg's face worth all the confusion and uncertainty they'd gone through together. "I love you," Greg whispered, bringing his hand up to cup Warrick's cheek. "I love being with you and Nick, I love being with you, and I love being with Nick. You know how I said I felt bad for being with just one of you because it meant I had to leave one of you out?" Warrick nodded. "I still feel like that sometimes, but it's not that bad because I know you both know about the whole situation and I know I'll have a chance to be with both of you at the same time. And I'm pretty sure you're okay with our arrangement," he added tentatively.

 

"I am," Warrick reassured him. He took both of Greg's hands in his, keeping Greg centered on him. "I never thought anything like this would happen to me, but this has been the best week of my life. I know it's gonna be a while until we, you know, do anything other than sleeping, but even when that happens, I'm sure there will still be times I'll want time to myself or with just one of you."

 

Greg's face brightened. "You really think it's gonna happen some day? And you're okay with it?"

 

"Yeah." Even though he'd become comfortable with what he assumed was going to happen eventually, Warrick realized he hadn't shared that with Greg. "It's not gonna happen right away, but I think once Nick and I, you know, I think we'll be able to try a threesome like you wanted." Warrick had never been in a threesome, and he was pretty Nick hadn't, either, but if one of the people was Greg and the other was Nick, it seemed pretty damn feasible.

 

Greg nodded silently, trying to hide the grin that was twitching at his lips. Warrick smiled, rubbing the back of Greg's hand with his fingers. Greg obviously still liked the idea of a threesome. Eventually, Greg composed himself, lacing his fingers between Warrick's. "What about the triad?"

 

Warrick smiled hesitantly. "I think we're well on our way to that." He remembered what Greg had said about the triad happening, that it wouldn't be real until Warrick and Nick were in love with each other too. "I already love Nick as a friend," he said softly, realizing he'd never told Greg that, either. But it had been true for years. Warrick had probably loved Nick platonically longer than he'd been in love with Greg.

 

"That's great," Greg blurted enthusiastically, twisting his fingers around in Warrick's. Warrick laughed and let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding until Greg's sincerely pleased reaction. Part of him had still had doubts about whether or not Greg could accept it, if he'd be able to deal with Warrick having feelings for Nick. Now that it was obvious that Greg was okay with it, something shifted in Warrick's mind, making it more okay for him to recognize and explore his feelings for Nick. It was the first time he felt so comfortable with his feelings.

 

"Yeah, it is," he grinned. "I have to work tonight, but I have the next night off and so does Nick. I was planning to see if he wanted to go out." They both had the night after that off, too, giving Nick a well-needed three-day vacation and Warrick two days, but Warrick didn't want to make any plans for that day until he knew how their date went. Besides, that day was Valentine's, and Warrick didn't know yet if Greg was planning to make a big deal about it. One thing at a time.

 

"Don't go clubbing," Greg said unexpectedly. Warrick blinked. He hadn't even considered that. "Take him out to dinner and a movie. Something that's just the two of you." Greg leaned closer, practically leering as he lowered his voice. "If you go to a club, everyone in the place will be all over you. Defeats the purpose of having a night to yourself," Greg explained.

 

Warrick chuckled. "Don't worry. I only deejay at clubs, I don't dance at them." Greg raised his eyebrows. "I don't dance."

 

"Right," Greg murmured, pulling back to study his face, presumably to figure out how serious Warrick was. "I'd offer to teach you, but the way I dance isn't so much dancing as it is..."

 

"Sex?" Warrick prompted.

 

Greg was leering again. "Well, when you put it that way... yeah."

 

"Not fit for public consumption."

 

"Not when I'm in a committed relationship, no."

 

Warrick liked that. Liked that Greg called it a committed relationship, the three of them being committed to each other, to Greg. "It's good to know you have some boundaries," he said, making sure to keep his tone teasing instead of sarcastic.

 

Greg got it. "Only in public," he said with a wink. "Anything goes when we're at home."

 

"Mm." Warrick reached for Greg, and once he'd gotten Greg arranged in his lap, wrapped his arms around Greg's waist. "This is home to me," he confided quietly. "You're home."

 

Warrick didn't think he'd ever seen Greg look so happy. "So are you," Greg whispered, slipping his arms around Warrick's neck, relaxing against him. "I love you."

 

"Love you too," Warrick whispered back. In the past, Greg's ability to get emotional like this had annoyed him, but now he found it endearing that Greg wasn't afraid to express himself. Whether it was talking about how he felt or showing his feelings, Greg was always sincere. That was one of the things Warrick loved most about him.

 

Greg took his arms from around Warrick's neck to frame his face with both hands, smiling softly. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world, you know that? You and Nick make me the luckiest guy in the world."

 

Warrick smiled, putting his hands in Greg's hair to pull Greg's face down to his. "I don't know," he murmured. "I think you're tied with me and Nick for luckiest guy in the world."

 

"We're the three luckiest guys in the world, then," Greg concluded. "Because we have each other."

 

***

 

Finding the inspiration to remove Greg from his lap was difficult, but eventually Greg took the decision out of his hands. Dropping a kiss onto Warrick's lips, Greg stood up, arching his back as he stretched. "I'm gonna feed the kids," Greg informed him, looking at Warrick over his shoulder as he approached the fishtanks on display between the kitchen and living room. Warrick took that as his cue to start cleaning up their mess from breakfast, bringing all their dishes to the sink where he started to clean.

 

Greg wasn't as insistent on being a host as Nick was. Instead of doing all the cooking and cleaning, Greg preferred to alternate, cooking on ocassion and leaving cleaning up to whoever ate what he cooked. When anyone other than Greg cooked, Greg was the one who cleaned up, ensuring that they all shared in the responsibilities.

 

Warrick suspected that Greg's favorite chore was feeding the fish. Greg always took his time, talking to his babies as he fed each of them, taking a half hour or more for a job that Warrick could've done in about five minutes. Feeding his fish was Greg's way of relaxing, the way Warrick took his mind off everything else with his music room. Warrick wasn't sure what Nick did to relax, but it probably had something to do with country music or birdwatching or paragliding. Probably birdwatching, since Greg had gotten him those high-tech binoculars for Christmas. You didn't spend that much money on something that was just an ocassional hobby.

 

"I saved the best for last," Greg announced, coming up behind Warrick where he was watching the scribbled angelfish swim. Greg didn't name his fish; they were all 'baby' or 'kid' or, when Greg thought no one was listening, 'sweetie'. "Wanna feed her?"

 

"Sure." Feeding fish wasn't exactly Warrick's idea of a good time on his own, but he got a little thrill out of feeding Greg's fish with Greg there, knowing how important Greg's fish were to him. Sometimes he thought Greg had so many fish since he didn't think he could ever have children, raising and caring for them like his own.

 

Greg tried to act sophisticated and extroverted at work, always being the first to know about the clubs crimes took place in and the evidence they collected, whether it was related to drugs or kinky sex, but Warrick knew Greg was a nurturer at heart. He didn't know why Greg tried so hard to hide it in public, preferring to show off his science-savvy or cool side, but Warrick was grateful to be able to experience Greg's more nurturing side when they were alone or with Nick at home.

 

The scribbled angelfish lingered at the surface to nibble at the food between Warrick's fingers. Greg took advantage of the moment to put his hand beside Warrick's, lightly petting the fish's back until it had eaten everything and wiggled back under the surface. Greg exchanged a grin with Warrick, then got to work putting all the food away. A few minutes later Greg joined him again, walking alongside him as they headed for the bedroom.

 

"Wanna take a shower?" Warrick suggested, slipping his arms around Greg as they walked into the bedroom together. Greg shook his head, turning in Warrick's arms to smile up at him.

 

"Oh, no," he said with a grin. "I have plans for you, and the shower always washes away the lube."

 

Warrick raised an eyebrow. "You have plans that include lube?" That sounded promising.

 

"Mmhm," Greg murmured, leaning up to kiss him briefly, "but it's a surprise."

 

Warrick liked surprises, especially when they involved Greg and lube. "Then let's get started."

 

***

 

Greg wouldn't let him do anything other than lie down. Warrick obeyed, because he knew whatever Greg had planned, it was going to be good.

 

He was on his stomach, arms folded under his face, his clothes already off. He could hear Greg getting undressed, clothes dropping to the floor. A second later, he heard a familiar thwick, and turned his head to look at the burning match Greg held between his fingers. Warrick narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but didn't say anything until Greg lit a candle that had appeared out of nowhere. Just what did Greg have in mind? "What...?"

 

"I have to be able to see you, don't I?" The strong scent of vanilla started to fill the room as Warrick considered suggesting that Greg try looking at him if he wanted to see him, but the flip of the lightswitch answered his unasked question. Greg wanted romance. No lights, just candles. He could deal with that.

 

"Mmhm," he murmured, turning his face back into the crook of his elbow as he listened to Greg moving around. Greg must have been planning this, planning for their day alone together. He wondered what Greg had had planned for Nick. "Do I get to see you?"

 

Greg scoffed in the relative darkness, the shadows and light from the flame flickering over his body when Warrick glanced over at him. "Maybe next time," Greg allowed, amusement in his voice. Warrick sighed silently, wishing he could convince Greg that his body was worth looking at. But Greg obviously had plans for them, and Warrick wasn't about to interrupt when Greg was so determined to set a mood. "Today's about you."

 

Warrick would have plan something big for Greg. He didn't know what or when, but he'd figure it out. He'd show Greg just how much he meant to him, the way Greg had spent the whole day doing for him.

 

A new scent joined the smell of vanilla from the candle seconds after a bottle cap was flipped open. Warrick didn't recognize it; a little sweet, a little artificial, and he had other things on his mind in the next instant when the mattress dipped down beside him, Greg's knee sliding against his ribs. The next thing he knew, Greg was sitting on his back, a lot lighter than Warrick knew he really was. Greg was being careful, barely touching his back.

 

Greg's knees framed his sides, and when Greg's fingers closed down on his shoulders, it became clear that Greg was kneeling over him. Greg started kneading his shoulders, and that was when Warrick realized what he was doing. Greg was giving him a massage. A naked massage. He'd definitey have to make plans for Greg.

 

Warrick had no idea what he'd done to earn this, but he wasn't about to complain. He needed it. It was one of those things he didn't know he needed until he had it, like a night off after working a case for two straight weeks. He could get so wrapped up in a case he couldn't think about anything else, and it wasn't until he had a night off that he realized how tense he'd gotten.

 

Greg was spoiling him. He was sure of it. Warrick slipped his arms from under his head to wrap around a pillow, turning his head to crack his neck. He really started to relax then, melting under Greg's skilled fingers and the liquid he kept pouring on them. The scents filling the room relaxed him almost as much as the firm touches of Greg's fingers and knuckles, his muscles unknotting as Greg progressed lower.

 

He was starting to wonder if Greg was going to do his legs, too, when the sensation of cool liquid dripping between his ass cheeks made him jerk in surprise. Greg hadn't gone into the drawer; he was going to use the massage oil as lube. Warrick tensed a little out of instinct, but he didn't say anything. He trusted Greg's judgment. Hell, Greg had probably even tested the stuff on himself first.

 

"Shhh," Greg whispered, pressing his lips to Warrick's back between his shoulder blades before he pulled back abruptly and made a spitting sound. It didn't exactly mesh with the romantic atmosphere Greg had created, and Warrick found himself holding back a chuckle. "Ew. I forgot this stuff isn't edible." Warrick was laughing out loud now, and reached back to try to give Greg a comforting touch. Greg tangled their fingers together, his laughter joining Warrick's. "Gimme a minute."

 

Then Greg was gone, the inedible oil-slash-lube evaporating slowly, making goosebumps rise on Warrick's skin now that Greg wasn't on top of him. He considered pulling a blanket over him, but Greg would be back any minute once he rinsed his mouth out, and Warrick wasn't about to do anything to delay what he was sure would be a spectacular fuck.

 

He couldn't remember the last time Greg had fucked him. They hadn't fucked nearly as often as they'd done anything else, and when they did, Warrick usually let Greg bottom. He'd be sore as hell at work tonight if that was what Greg planned, but if that meant another massage was in order, Warrick didn't mind. In fact, he was looking forward to it.

 

"Good, you're relaxed," Greg murmured, the mattress dipping again as Greg climbed into bed again. This time, he didn't straddle Warrick, instead stroking a hand down Warrick's back as he sat beside him. "Do you mind, um... getting up? It would be easier for me to..." Greg's voice trailed off in a rare display of shyness. Then again, as reluctant as Warrick could be to talk about sex, Greg could be just as reluctant to be direct instead of subtly flirtatious.

 

Warrick had never done it this way, and maybe Greg knew it would make him self-conscious. That might explain the candle instead of the regular lights, and Warrick was grateful for it as he pushed up onto his hands and knees. Usually they spooned or Greg was the one on his hands and knees. They'd mostly done it face-to-face since they'd started kissing, but Warrick understood the appeal of this position even if it wasn't as intimate. He knew how good it felt to fuck Greg like this, how deep he could get compared to when they were on their sides.

 

Warrick bowed his head between his arms, hooking his hands over his elbows. He'd never ridden Greg, either, so he didn't know how it would feel to have Greg as deep as possible. First Greg cleaned him up, then gave him a massage, and now this. It was a day of firsts.

 

It was hard to stay self-conscious when Greg was being so gentle with him. The lube was still cool, but Greg's fingers warmed it up quickly, the goosebumps slowly fading from his skin as Greg's touches became more heated. The first finger slipped in easily, two knuckles pressing into the flesh on either side; Greg liked starting with his middle finger. It gave new meaning to being flipped off by Greg.

 

Greg's long fingers could easily reach his prostate, but Greg knew him well enough to know that touching him there now would mean it was over before it started. To that end, Warrick gritted his teeth, restraining himself from the urge to push back against Greg's fingers. He needed to let Greg set the pace, needed to let Greg take control of his pleasure the way Greg had been doing all day.

 

It wasn't often that Greg took charge like this. Warrick wondered if Nick had anything to do with it; if Nick was always as aggressive as he had been that day Warrick had seen him with Greg and inspired Greg to try it himself. If that was the case, Warrick would have to figure out a way to thank him.

 

Warrick sucked in a breath when Greg added a second finger, already mentally preparing himself for Greg's cock. It had been a while. He was just glad Greg's cock wasn't as thick as his own. It was the only reason Warrick could manage to almost deepthroat Greg without gagging on ocassion. Smiling didn't work to suppress the gag reflex while sucking cock.

 

He could hear Greg's breathing change behind him, feel Greg's fingers pushing down. Warrick took a deep breath, pressing his chin to his chest as Greg's fingers slipped out slightly, the motion followed by the sound of foil being ripped. Greg's fingers slipped out all the way, his cock slapping against the back of Warrick's thigh as, Warrick assumed, he strugged with the condom. Warrick sighed with relief when he finally heard the snap of latex securely in place, his fingers and asshole clenching with anticipation. It was going to be soon. Greg was going to fuck him.

 

The scent of the lube grew stronger again, the sound of Greg's breath speeding up adding to the sound of Greg's fingers stroking his cock. Warrick dropped his head, taking a shaky breath as he started to grow tense with anticipation again. Greg noticed a moment later, stroking a slick hand over Warrick's lower back before both of Greg's hands moved to spread him open.

 

Greg wasn't the only person Warrick had had sex with, and Greg certainly wasn't the first to fuck him. But Greg was the first person Warrick had exposed himself to like this. It wasn't that he was self-conscious about his looks anymore or lacked confidence like Greg did, but bending down on his hands and knees like this made him vulnerable. It was only the knowledge that Greg wouldn't laugh at him, wouldn't make him feel more self-conscious than necessary, and knowing that Greg would make it feel good enough to make up for however vulnerable he felt at first that let him open up like this. So to speak.

 

Greg's cockhead nudged against his hole, one hand holding his cock in place as the other stroked Warrick's hip. Warrick waited impatiently for Greg to push forward; when it didn't happen, he started to realize just how tense he was.

 

He knew Greg wasn't going to hurt him, of course. But that didn't make it any easier to accept a hard cock in his ass when he wasn't used to it. Greg would've been a better partner for his first time, waiting for him to relax and helping him relax instead of shoving inside right away, the way the first guy who'd fucked him had done. He hadn't seemed to realize that even liberal amounts of lube didn't make it any easier to be split open by something twice as big as any fingers he'd ever had in his ass.

 

Waiting with Greg was like a rollercoaster of tension, increasing at first with impatience until it subsided into almost-relaxation. At the first twitch of his hole, Greg's cockhead slipped inside, filling him with mass and memories of doing this so many times before. So little so far, but it was enough to remind him of the stretch, the pain that could result when it was done wrong. Greg wouldn't do it wrong, though. Greg had been on the receiving end enough times to know how to do it right.

 

The strokes of Greg's hand on his hip grew unsteady, Greg's hand slipping as Warrick started to rock back against him, getting used to the sensation he hadn't experienced in... it had to be almost five months. That would make it harder for him, but hopefully Greg would give him plenty more chances to get familiar with it again.

 

Greg pushed deeper incrementally, his breath growing more and more labored until eventually he gripped Warrick's hips with both hands. Warrick prayed that today wasn't the first day Greg had started working on his stamina, because if it was, Warrick didn't think he'd last long enough to get all the way in.

 

"How're you doin'?" Greg's voice was barely audible, his breath shaking between words. Warrick could only nod at first, not trusting his voice until he'd cleared his throat.

 

"Good," he managed, exhaling deeply. Greg slipped the rest of the way in then, and Warrick tightened around him, breathing roughly as he felt the familiar pulse of Greg's cock all the way inside him. He couldn't tell if it was the pulse just before Greg came or just Greg, deep inside, but he figured he'd find out soon enough.

 

It didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable when it was Greg. That was one of the things he remembered most about his first time, how unnatural it felt - a word he'd used reluctantly to describe something he'd always been taught was wrong because it was unnatural. He hadn't wanted to admit to himself that it really felt that way, but there was no better way to describe it, the way it hadn't seemed to fit and all he wanted was to have it gone. His first partner hadn't been cruel or malicious about fucking him, just naive and impatient, two things Greg never was. It was one of the benefits of having an experienced partner, not to mention one who loved him. That meant Greg was always doubly careful with him, and made everything feel twice as good.

 

He'd barely gotten used to it when Greg started to thrust, shallowly at first. Greg's timing was perfect, waiting long enough for Warrick to grow comfortable with it but not long enough to get anxious about the next part. He didn't remember being fucked making him so anxious; maybe he was really only a bottom when it came to sucking Greg off. Not that he didn't like this, but it definitely wasn't as easy as he remember it being.

 

Three strokes in, Greg's cockhead started brushing his prostate, reminding Warrick exactly why he liked being fucked. It wasn't the same as fingers massaging his prostate, failing to fill him completely the way Greg's cock did. Warrick's breathing was ragged by now, tension creeping up his spine, into his balls, making his cock bounce against his stomach and not just from the growing force of Greg's body against his.

 

As Greg's thrusts grew steadier, Warrick had to unfold his arms, supporting himself with both elbows and forearms as his head hung between them. When he looked, he could see himself, cock hard and arching against his stomach, his balls slamming back against Greg's with every thrust, Greg's legs braced against his own. His vision distorted and he had to close his eyes, sound and smell and most of all touch being enough to overwhelm his senses.

 

Greg's pace was slow and steady, driving Warrick insane. He needed more, needed Greg, and he started to thrust back against it, encouraging Greg with his own sharp thrusts, ignoring the way his arms and legs were starting to feel strained. Greg's hand closed over his cock and Warrick groaned, a strangled sound that filled his ears as he came, his cock jerking in Greg's hand. Behind him, Greg let out a low moan, filling Warrick with warmth as he came inside the condom.

 

Warrick stayed up as long as he could, but it wasn't long before he had to lower himself to the bed, letting Greg slip out. After being so full, he felt empty, but Greg's weight heavy over half of his back made up for it. Warrick rolled onto his back, taking the right side of the bed and pulling Greg to his other side so neither of them had to deal with the wet spot.

 

He was exhausted, but he wasn't about to let Greg fall asleep in a condom after all Greg had done for him. Warrick pushed up with a groan, ignoring Greg's protests because if he didn't do it now, he'd fall asleep, and he could do that after Greg was cleaned up. He threw away the condom and cleaned Greg off with the same care Greg had taken with him, smiling sleepily at Greg's happy moans. Minutes later, he crawled back into bed with his lover, hauling Greg up to lie on his chest. His last conscious act of the afternoon was to kiss Greg and then blow out the candle, leaving them both in complete darkness. As long as Greg was in his arms, that was perfect.


	44. Chapter 44  Intermission

  
Author's notes: It's a slow night at the crime lab, which gives Warrick plenty of time to catch up with his coworkers and, more importantly, think about Greg.  


* * *

He felt Greg all night. He'd known he would, and he was glad he'd been right. The familiar soreness was comforting, and even better was the fact that it was a slow night, leaving him with nothing to do but wrap up loose ends on a case. He usually hated paperwork and procedure, but tonight, it allowed him to savor the sensory reminder of Greg fucking him.

 

After all the evidence was filed and he'd reviewed the case with Grissom, all that was left was busy work to catch up on. He spent the rest of the morning in the break room, pushing pencils and getting a chance to catch up with everyone who came in for a break.

 

Sara and Cath came in at the same time, taking a break from the case they were working together. Sara's lunch came out of the fridge first, so she had dibs on the microwave, leaving Cath to pour each of them a fresh cup of coffee. "Warrick?"

 

Warrick shook his head, holding up the cup he'd filled up not five minutes ago. "I'm good." He dropped his pen on the table, leaning back in the chair to look at her. "How's your case going?"

 

"Eh." Cath shrugged, tipping some sugar into her coffee and then stirring it in. "We're at a dead end."

 

"Bobby's running our bullet through IBIS, but he hasn't found a match yet," Sara piped up as she took her lunch from the microwave. She switched places with Cath, picking up the coffee Cath had poured for her and brought it with her lunch to the table across from Warrick. "It would help if our crime scene were actually our crime scene."

 

They discussed the case over Cath and Sara's lunch break, taking longer than they would have if it hadn't been such a slow night. About forty-five minutes in, Grissom walked by, not seeming to notice them at first but then he stopped and walked backwards for a few steps, took off his glasses and stepped into the break room. "Is there a reason none of my CSIs are actually investigating crimes?"

 

"Gil, there's nothing to investigate," Cath sighed. "We've combed through the evidence dozens of times and we don't have any new theories."

 

Grissom nodded thoughtfully, but he looked as if he hadn't heard a word Catherine had said. "Well, keep your pager on. Next case that gets called in is yours." Grissom started to back out of the room, stumbling a little when Greg crashed into him from the hallway.

 

"Sorry," Greg blurted out, dropping to the floor to pick up the papers he'd knocked out of Grissom's hands, shoving them haphazardly back into the file folder. Grissom blinked and put his glasses back on, studying Greg like one of his bugs, and took the papers calmly when Greg handed them back to him.

 

"I don't want to know," Grissom said before Greg could apologize. "Be more careful."

 

"Yes sir," Greg called after him, flashing a nervous smile when he saw Warrick, Cath, and Sara staring at him. "Hey guys, what's up?"

 

"Not your coordination," Sara muttered, eliciting a smirk from Catherine. Either Sara was done with her lunch, or Greg's presence had ruined her appetite, because she got up and threw out the remains of her meal, glancing at Catherine as she approached the door. "I'm goin' to the morgue, see if Doc has anything new for us," Sara said, staring stonily at Greg. It took Greg a moment to realize he was blocking the door, and he quickly stepped out of the way, even opening the door for Sara. Sara sighed.

 

"Sure, I'll catch up with you," Cath assured Sara, who nodded and walked out the door. Greg smiled at her, but Warrick couldn't tell if it was because Sara smiled first or not at all.

 

"So," Greg said with a grin, lounging against the counter after taking a coffee cup from the cabinets above. "Workin' hard or hardly workin'?"

 

"We were working hard until you scared Sara away," Cath teased, getting up to drain the rest of her coffee cup. "You know, some girls like it when you play hard to get." Was Catherine pretending Greg was straight for Warrick's benefit?

 

Greg grinned. "Everyone knows Sara has a thing for me," Greg said confidently, almost smugly. Warrick had to hold back a chuckle. "She's trying so hard to hide it."

 

It was interesting watching the subtext-filled exchange between Greg and Catherine, knowing that Cath knew Greg was in a relationship with two different men. Warrick wasn't sure if they were doing it because he was there or not, but it was amusing to watch.

 

Over the next few minutes, the tone of the conversation changed from teasing to serious, Greg asking when the team was going to go out for breakfast again. "It's been a while since we had a chance to catch up," he pointed out, and Cath smiled.

 

"Not this week," Cath replied with a smile. "Lindsey got the lead in her school play and she's nervous about forgetting her lines. She makes me go over it with her every morning." Cath paused, then chuckled softly to herself. "She's worried about the kiss, too."

 

"First kiss, huh?" Warrick asked sympathetically, and Catherine nodded. "Does she like the boy?" Because as much as Warrick would like to think that at least one in the thousands of school plays performed each year might have a same-sex kiss between the leads, he knew it would never happen. Not in his lifetime, at least. And kids would keep being in plays and going to plays and thinking that it was expected and acceptable for a boy to kiss a girl, so whenever one of the girls watching wanted to kiss a girl and one of the boys watching wanted to kiss a boy, they would have already seen that it never happened so it must not be okay.

 

"Oh, who knows," Cath said with a shrug. "It just better not be a kiss on the lips because these kids are ten years old. They're not ready for that." Warrick nodded in agreement, exchanging a smile with Greg when he saw Greg doing the same thing. He wasn't really worried about Cath noticing; he knew she accepted, even encouraged, Greg's lifestyle. And Catherine knew the importance of discretion. Cath straightened, looking at Greg and then Warrick. "I'd invite you but Eddie's gonna be there, and I don't want it any more complicated than it has to be."

 

"Don't worry," Warrick reassured her. "I get it."

 

"Thanks," Cath said with a sigh. "Trust me, I'd rather have you or Greg there, but..." She smiled wryly. "I'm going to videotape it, though. If Lindsey says it's okay, I can show it to you later."

 

"Sure," Greg said enthusiastically. "And tell her if she doesn't want to do the kiss, she doesn't have to."

 

Catherine smiled. "I already have." Hearing a knock on the glass wall, Cath turned to look into the hallway, where Sara was holding up an x-ray and motioning for Cath to talk to her. "All right, I gotta go," Cath said, and walked briskly out of the break room. Leaving Warrick alone with Greg in a room with glass walls, leaving them no privacy except for what they said if they didn't speak too loud.

 

Greg approached casually, apparently having decided to drink the existing coffee because he was adding as much milk and cream and sugar as there was coffee. Warrick watched silently, thinking with some amusement about how the rest of the team would respond to Greg on a caffeine and a sugar high. "So I was thinking I could give you a ride back today," Greg commented.

 

Warrick studied Greg carefully, wondering why he wanted to take the risk. "You think that's safe?"

 

Greg shrugged. "Well, I was thinking, and the alternative is that all three of our cars are at my house. I mean, that's okay every once in a while, but if we do it every day, I think that would be more suspicious, don't you?"

 

What Greg was saying actually made sense. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Somehow they'd slipped into a routine, where going to Greg's and staying there seemed as natural as going home. For as little as Warrick had used his house this week, he might as well be moved in with Greg and so was Nick. "So, what, we're gonna start carpooling?"

 

Greg nodded a little hesitantly. "If that's okay with you."

 

Warrick took a sip of his coffee, wrinkling his nose at how cold it had gotten. "Yeah, that's fine." Why not? He and Nick practically lived there, and there was no point in having all three of their cars in the driveway every day. That would be more suspicious than carpooling. Warrick pushed his coffee aside, and smiled at Greg. "We can see what Nick thinks about it today."

 

"Yeah," Greg said, sounding relieved.

 

They exchanged a long smile, Warrick's smile fading as he started to wonder what would happen if he leaned across the table and kissed Greg right now. Right - he'd get fired. Conflict of interest. Couldn't kiss Greg at work.

 

Greg cleared his throat after a while, getting up to pour out the remainder of his coffee. Then he took the labcoat he'd draped over the back of the chair and put it on, pulling it closed and buttoning all the buttons. Warrick had to hide a smile. Was Greg turned on?

 

"I should go," Greg said, clearing his throat and tossing Warrick a sheepish grin before he escaped out into the hallway. Warrick shook his head, grinning to himself as he went back to his neglected paperwork.

 

Yeah. It was going to be an interesting morning with Nick.


	45. Chapter 45  Household

  
Author's notes: The three of them discuss living arrangements.  


* * *

"That was..." Greg dropped his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes. "Fantastic."

 

Smiling smugly, Nick slipped an arm around Greg's shoulders. "Well, I try."

 

"Mmm. You succeed." Greg turned his head to face Nick, his eyes still closed as he nestled closer to Nick. Warrick shifted to accomodate Greg's movement, reaching down to hold Greg's ankles as Greg lifted his socked feet into Warrick's lap.

 

"Yeah," Warrick agreed, looking at Nick over Greg's head. "I'm not gonna have to eat for a week." Greg had driven him home, as he'd offered earlier, and as soon as they'd pulled into the driveway, Warrick had been able to tell that something smelled different. It turned out to be the breakfast feast Nick had made for them, complete with steak and omelets and chocolate chip pancakes. Those were for Greg, but Warrick had tried a few too - and enjoyed them.

 

Greg hummed in agreement, tilting his head up to look at Nick through his lashes. "I had no idea I had that much food in the fridge," he commented with mock suspicion. Nick chuckled.

 

"You didn't," Nick confirmed. "Consider it my contribution to the household for the week."

 

Warrick didn't think Nick meant anything by what he'd said, but after he mentioned the word 'household', the three of them grew silent. They hadn't discussed their arrangement in a while; after the funeral, Warrick had wanted to include Nick, so he had, and since then, they'd just started spending the days together. They'd slipped into a routine without meaning to or even realizing it.

 

Now was their chance to talk about it.

 

Warrick slipped down in his seat and put his feet up on the coffee table, settling in for a long talk. His right arm around Greg's lower legs, Warrick stretched his left arm along the back of the couch, letting it overlap with Nick's. It was an intentional move, designed to show both of them that he wasn't walking away from the potential conversation.

 

Nick had spoken, and Greg looked unsure of what to say, which meant it was Warrick's turn. He didn't know whether to start with something serious or something to lighten the mood, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Y'know, we've been spendin' so much time here we should be payin' rent."

 

Greg raised his eyebrows, looking at a loss of how to respond to that. He laughed weakly, glancing up at Nick and then back at Warrick. "I wouldn't charge you rent unless you were living here," he finally said, gnawing nervously on his lower lip between words. Warrick reached up and put his fingers on Greg's mouth, pulling Greg's lip away from his teeth before he chewed a hole through it. Greg smiled sheepishly, bringing his hand up to tangle his fingers with Warrick's. "Although you have been kind of living here." He said it like a question.

 

"Well." Warrick smiled thoughtfully, risking a glance up at Nick. "We kinda have."

 

"Yeah," Nick agreed, a tentative smile starting to form at one corner of his mouth. "I kinda like it."

 

The conversation was moving a lot more slowly than Warrick had anticipated, each of them reluctant to say what they really wanted to stay, not wanting to risk stepping over the line none of them could see. Warrick knew what Greg wanted, and so did Nick, which meant that Greg wasn't much more than an observer. Warrick would bet he wouldn't dare to speak, afraid that his input would force them into a decision they weren't ready for. "Enough to make it permanent?"

 

He didn't know why he was asking. Warrick knew himself pretty well, but he didn't know if he was ready to move in with Greg and Nick permanently. Just because it had gone well for a week didn't mean it would work as a long-term arrangement. But at least he'd posed it as a question, and not a statement of his own plans. He didn't even know what his plans were.

 

The only thing that made him hesitate to commit was Nick's involvment. Months ago he'd been ready to move in with Greg, and if it had been just the two of them, Warrick would've jumped at the chance to move in. Having Nick there complicated things, but maybe... maybe not so much. He knew he couldn't go back to the way it had been before, where they took turns spending the day with Greg. It was well worth it to him to miss out on sex six days out of the week if it meant five of those days were spent in bed with Greg and Nick.

 

"I think so," Nick finally said, surprising Warrick and, if the look on Nick's face was any indication, himself. Greg had shifted completely by now, lying on his back, looking up at Nick and practically holding his breath, he was so obviously trying to keep from saying something. Warrick hurt for him, but he knew they had to talk this out. There was no way to make it easier on Greg.

 

And the thing was, if he wasn't ready to make this permanent, why would he have even brought it up? Mentioning the possibility of making it permanent just to get Greg's hopes up and then let him down would be cruel; crueler than Warrick or Nick were. Not for the first time in his life, Warrick found himself realizing he was ready for something even before he'd admitted it to himself. "I think so too," he said quietly, looking down as he rubbed a thumb over Greg's ankle. "If Greg wants it too."

 

"Of course I do," Greg exclaimed, shooting up from Nick's lap to sit facing Warrick. The next few minutes were sort of fuzzy, but Warrick extracted a few things from the exchange, and they included Greg's hands on his face, Greg's mouth on his, and Greg's back to him as Greg turned to maul Nick. Greg's enthusiastic response was overwhelming, so much so that Warrick could only sit back and take what Greg was giving them. "I wasn't serious about charging you rent," Greg blurted out, flipping his head back and forth to try to look at both of them at the same time, finally curling up in Warrick's lap and dragging Nick across the couch to sit next to them. Warrick laughed along with Nick, letting his arm slip into place behind Nick's shoulders, Nick's arm resting along his shoulders, Nick's hand on Greg's elbow. "I mean, we'd have to split the bills if you both lived here, electricity and water and stuff, I'd keep paying for the fish of course since they're mine but we could split everything else three ways, except - oh," Greg frowned, "Warrick, you're paying a mortgage, aren't you?"

 

Even when he was babbling, Greg made a good point. "Yeah," he admitted. Well, so much for that idea. He couldn't just up and sell his house; that would be too suspicious. About as suspicious as the three of them living together. "Greg... what about work?" He and Nick would have to fill out change of address forms, including contact information, and that would be too easy for anyone to figure out.

 

"Well..." Greg frowned thoughtfully, and Warrick could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Suddenly Greg's face lit up, and he grinned. "We could just say we're moving in together to save on living expenses. I mean, people do that all the time, right? Roommates?"

 

"Yeah, but you only have one spare bedroom," Nick pointed out. Greg's expression sagged for a moment, then he grinned again.

 

"We can fix up the basement for Warrick. You know, just in case anyone comes over to visit. Or if we have another party," he finished dryly, giving Nick an accusing look. Nick shrugged it off, leaning forward to kiss Greg on the mouth. "Okay," Greg said, his tone surly. "You're forgiven."

 

"So, excuse me," Warrick interrupted, running his fingers through Greg's hair to get his attention. "Why do I have to live in the basement?"

 

"You're not really gonna live there." Greg rolled his eyes. "But we'll fix it up for you so your music room can be down there, like it is now. So if you ever need to get away."

 

Warrick was amazed by how... possible it all seemed. Feasible. Realistic. Perfect. He took a deep breath, looking at Greg carefully. "Are we really gonna do this?"

 

His eyes wide and hopeful, Greg licked his lips, his gaze darting toward Nick, who nodded slightly and smiled. Greg's face relaxed into a grin, his arms looping around Warrick's neck. "I think we are."

 

***

 

Greg kissed him then, easy and casual, as if he wasn't sitting in Warrick's lap with Warrick's arm around Nick's shoulders and nothing but a few layers of denim and cotton between them. Nick was so close that Greg's arms looped around Warrick's neck brushed against Nick's arm, too, tangled among the arms between the three of them. The kiss was soft and gentle and promising, just the tip of Greg's tongue sliding along Warrick's lip and Warrick wished they were alone, or at least that Warrick felt comfortable enough with Nick to take whatever Greg wanted to give.

 

He'd promised Greg that sometime, he'd let Greg kiss him and then watch Greg kiss Nick, but Warrick was really in the middle and he was damn tired of being scared. So when Greg pulled away from the kiss, Warrick licked his lips and stroked Greg's face, then turned to Nick, and kissed him too.

 

Ten to one Nick was as surprised as Warrick, either at how easy it was to kiss in front of Greg or at the fact that Warrick had kissed him in the first place. It was better than the kiss in Nick's apartment so long ago, mostly because Greg was in his lap and there was no guilt, no confusion about his feelings. Greg was sitting right there, watching, and Warrick knew that Greg wanted this as much as he wanted to kiss either of them, maybe more because it meant that Greg didn't have to hold back anymore. And he wasn't holding back, was actually kissing, Warrick's neck first and then bracing himself with a hand on Warrick's chest to kiss Nick's neck.

 

Warrick paused the kiss to watch Greg, Nick's lips brushing against his cheek as he tilted his head down. Greg met his eyes then and cupped Warrick's neck with his hand, leaning up for another soft kiss that quickly grew more intense. Greg shifted in his lap until his knee slid between Warrick's legs, a brief exploration with his free hand revealing that Greg's other knee was between Nick's legs. He was straddling them both, and for some reason, that was incredibly hot.

 

Greg's teeth scraped his lower lip as he pulled away, making Warrick groan, his hand coming to rest by Greg's knee and as a result, on Nick's upper thigh. Greg was panting by now, and one look at Nick revealed that he was just as fascinated by the sight in front of him as Warrick was.

 

Nick's fingers laced through Greg's on Warrick's neck, so Warrick leaned in, brushing his lips against Nick's again. It wasn't as real as the kiss would be if they'd been alone; Warrick was, in part, kissing Nick so Greg could see, but Warrick sure as hell wouldn't be kissing Nick if he didn't want to, either. It was just... difficult to fall into the kiss completely with someone else's eyes on him, but for the progress he'd made, Warrick was semi-comfortable with being watched like this.

 

A groan against his lips made Warrick open his eyes and look, watching as Nick tilted his head back to give Greg better access to his neck. An idea struck Warrick and he closed his right hand down on Greg's hip, leaning in to suck the juncture of Greg's neck and shoulder, dragging a groan from his lover and making Nick's arm slip down to his lower back.

 

There was just enough going on that Warrick couldn't participate in all of it at once, and not too much for him to be overwhelmed. Greg's neck arched under his lips, the subtle taste of almost-sweat from Greg's skin, the little noises Greg was making against Nick's neck and now, Nick's lips sliding up Warrick's neck, leaving a trail of moisture that quickly evaporated. In a matter of seconds Nick's mouth settled over his ear, puffs of breath and almost-moans that went straight to Warrick's cock. "I think Greg deserves to be the center of attention this time," Nick whispered, his voice hesitant and anticipatory all at once. "Bedroom?"

 

Warrick panted against Greg's neck, letting out his own happy little sound when Greg's fingers curled in his t-shirt. Yes; yes, that sounded like a very good idea. Greg was the one who'd suggested a threesome first; Greg was the one who didn't mind the idea of watching or being watched. If he was the center of attention, Warrick and Nick could make him feel really, really good, and they wouldn't have to be as self-conscious on the perimeter.

 

"Deal," he said out loud, meeting Nick's dilated eyes with his own. Greg's breathing was heavy and arhythmic when he pulled back from Nick's neck, his eyes darting between the two of them as he tried to figure out what Warrick had just agreed to. Before Greg could ask, Warrick tangled his hand in Greg's t-shirt, pulling Greg in for a hard kiss. "Bedroom?" he asked, and licked his lips at the dazed look in Greg's eyes as he nodded enthusiastically. "Good," he murmured, urging Greg back so they could get up off the couch together.

 

With Warrick on his right and Nick on his left, each of them holding one of his hands, Greg let them lead him to the bedroom.


	46. Chapter 46  Three

  
Author's notes: It didn't happen quite the way Warrick expected, but sometimes, that's the best way.  


* * *

Sex between two people was well within Warrick's realm of experience. Threesomes, not so much. He knew how to take care of himself and his partner, but he wasn't sure what his responsibilities were when there were two other men involved.

 

He'd spent so much time getting used to the idea of Nick being a part of the relationship that he hadn't considered the logistics. Now that they were here, Warrick wasn't sure what to do. If it were just two of them - he and Greg or even he and Nick - he'd have an idea where to start. He could go as far as fucking with Greg, maybe blowjobs with Nick, but in front of a third partner? No. Could the other two people even be called partners when three of them were involved? Didn't partner indicate one of two?

 

Warrick would have to look it up sometime, but for now, he was more interested in the two horny men in Greg's bedroom with him. Horny was probably putting it too lightly; this was a big deal, for all three of them, but most especially for Greg. This wasn't just about getting off; it was even possibly not about that at all. It would be a nice side effect, but the very act of moving their makeout session to the bedroom was a huge step for Warrick, and, he assumed, for Nick as well.

 

What they were about to do would be significantly less complicated due to the fact that Greg would be the center of attention. It was a stroke of genius on Nick's part. Of course Warrick would have to consider Nick, would probably kiss him while it was all happening, but Greg would be in the middle and that would simplify things considerably.

 

They'd begun by leading Greg into the bedroom, but now Greg was in front of them, sitting on the foot of the bed, shoulders hunched forward as a result of the way his hands were resting on the edge of the mattress. Not nervousness so much as bad posture. It made Warrick smile.

 

"So." Greg did look a little nervous, and what he said next was probably an attempt to break the tension. "We gonna get this party started or what?"

 

Warrick exchanged a glance with Nick, saw that he was smiling and decided it was safe to chuckle. "Yeah, I think we could handle that," he replied, coming to sit beside Greg at the foot of the bed. Nick joined them next, his hand brushing against Warrick's side as he slipped an arm around Greg's waist. Even though they hadn't told Greg that he'd be in the middle, it was pretty much a given, and even if it wasn't, he'd figure it out soon enough.

 

Not sure what else to do, Warrick put an arm around Greg's shoulders, a little awkward as he leaned in to kiss Greg. Just as he was about to kiss him, though, Nick began to speak, then stopped, looking uncertain.

 

Greg shifted to look at Nick, and put a hand on Nick's chest. "What is it, Nicky?" he asked, his hand slipping down a little in an almost caress. He was facing away from Warrick, but Warrick reminded himself that was bound to happen; the attention couldn't be on him all the time, and this was about Greg, after all. Not him. Being in the middle, Greg would have to take turns paying attention to both of them, and Warrick showed his support by putting his free hand on Greg's knee.

 

Nick looked down, studying Greg's hand on his chest and then his hand on Greg's hand, their fingers twining together. "I um." Nick looked up, licking his lips as he focused on Greg's face. "I was just gonna ask what you want."

 

It was a simple question, but Warrick got the feeling Nick didn't ask it often. And even though Greg was turned away from him, Warrick could see the corner of the smile, the flicker of eyelashes as Greg took his hand from Nick's chest to cup his cheek. Warrick wondered if it was always this way between them, cautious and tender. Except Nick had been the one to give Greg a hickey. So maybe it was just that Warrick was here, and he felt kind of bad about intruding.

 

"Just you two," Greg replied with a smile in his voice, leaning forward to brush a kiss against Nick's lips. With his hand still on Nick's face, he twisted around to kiss Warrick, and realizing the awkwardness of the position, Warrick leaned forward to meet him halfway. The kiss was soft but strained, lips wetly overlapping as they tried to coordinate around Greg's arm. It wasn't anything like the kiss in the living room, until Greg's hand dropped from Nick's face, and Warrick felt bad again about interrupting what they'd been sharing.

 

Greg stroked his cheek once, gently, and Warrick tipped his head to follow the motion, eyes starting to close when he felt Greg move away. Greg was scooting up the bed and then lifting up the covers, grinning as he snuggled under them. Warrick and Nick exchanged a glance, and came to a silent agreement to join Greg at the head of the bed.

 

Warrick pulled off his shirt and pants, because it felt like the logical thing to do. Greg was watching with a grin, his gaze sliding away when Nick started to follow Warrick's lead. Chuckling, Warrick took advantage of getting a head start on Nick by capturing Greg's mouth in a kiss, taking his lover by surprise. Greg let out a startled sound, then kissed him back, bringing up both hands to frame Warrick's face.

 

This was what he loved - making Greg feel good, observing the results evident in the happy, incoherent sounds Greg made and the enthusiasm of his response. The only thing getting in the way was the blanket between them and the shirt Greg was still wearing, and Warrick remedied that by slipping a hand under the covers and up under Greg's shirt.

 

Greg actually giggled, his hands coming down to cup both sides of Warrick's neck, guiding Warrick backwards as he pushed himself onto his knees. They kneeled there for a few minutes, just kissing, deeply and almost oblivious to Nick's presence, then Greg pulled back long enough to dispose of his shirt, whipping his head around with a laugh when Nick reached for his pants.

 

Warrick didn't have time to be disappointed. Greg was pushing at his stomach, close enough to Warrick's groin that his dick started to show interest. Warrick wasn't sure why he wasn't hard before, whether it was the hypertension or the newness of the situation or both, but it was a good sign that he was responding now.

 

Greg seemed to have a plan, so Warrick let Greg guide him, sitting back on his heels as Greg directed with his hand. There was a brief moment of disappointment when Greg turned away, but it disappeared as soon as Greg settled down on his own knees, leaning back until his head was in Warrick's lap, his legs stretching out so Nick could take off his pants. Intrigued by this new development, Warrick watched, casually trailing his fingers up and down Greg's sides as Nick settled between Greg's legs.

 

Nick had a devilish grin that matched the slow, seductive motion of his hands, unbuttoning and unzipping Greg, his eyes bright with anticipation as Greg wiggled his hips to help Nick pull off the jeans. Warrick's stomach twisted a bit as he wondered if Nick was going to blow Greg right in front of him like this, torn between wanting to see that and, well, not wanting to see it. Hell, he wanted to see it, but, damn, he wanted to be the one sucking Greg off, just as long as Nick wasn't watching. It had nothing to do with Nick and everything to do with being watched. Warrick was no exhibitionist; he'd barely gotten used to the way Greg looked him over when he was naked. The thought of someone else watching him suck cock was too embarassing to consider.

 

The idea of being the observer was pretty tempting, though, especially with Greg sitting in his lap. Warrick waited for Nick or Greg to do something, Nick to take off Greg's boxers or Greg to reach for Nick, but Nick just stretched out beside Greg, bracing himself up with an elbow on the mattress so his face was level with Greg's.

 

So, no blowjob yet. Warrick could deal with that. Actually, he was a little relieved, but that was just a habit he was trying to break himself of. He was supposed to want to see his wet dreams come to life, not be relieved when it didn't hapen.

 

Warrick liked having Greg in his lap, but he found himself wanting to be able to kiss Greg instead. Before Greg had let him kiss him, Warrick had always wanted it; and when Greg had finally opened up, Warrick had become addicted, wanting it even more. The way they were positioned, he could only watch, and there was something to watch because Nick was leaning in to kiss Greg.

 

Maybe this was something he'd have to get used to, too. Not being able to do everything he wanted or expected, having to sit on the sidelines every once in a while to let Nick have his turn with Greg. After they did this several times, Warrick was sure they would both start to be involved with Greg at the same time, but Warrick wasn't ready for that with Nick, which meant he had to wait. Wait and hold Greg while Nick kissed him, slow and sensual, the way Nick was making Greg go limp in Warrick's lap making Warrick anticipate his turn with Greg even more.

 

This was a better kind of sharing. The kind they'd done before, when Warrick hadn't known who else Greg was with, and even when he did, had deprived him of Greg for days, sometimes a week at a time. This was so much better, knowing that he'd be able to touch Greg the way he wanted in only a few minutes, maybe a half hour if Nick decided to get thorough. And Warrick didn't even have to wait in another room or just picture what they were doing, he could hold Greg in his arms while it was happening.

 

But wait, this was supposed to be about them focusing on Greg, right? Just because Warrick couldn't reach Greg to kiss him right now didn't mean he couldn't do other things. Inspired, Warrick reached down to get Nick's attention, brushing his fingers over Nick's scalp to get him to look up and pull away for a moment. When he did, Warrick hooked his arms under Greg's armpits, and pulled him up so he was sitting against Warrick's chest. Nick grinned and pulled himself up, piling pillows behind him so he could sit up like Warrick but away from the headboard to be even with Greg.

 

Before he went back to Greg, though, Nick treated Warrick with a kiss, his hand coming up to tangle in Warrick's hair. Warrick gave a murmur of surprise, but kissed back hungrily, the friction of Greg's body teasing his cock as Greg twisted around to watch them kiss. While Greg's head was still bent back, Warrick leaned down to kiss him, sharing Greg's own taste that he'd just gotten from Nick's mouth. Secondary transfer - no, tertiary, from Greg to Nick to Warrick and back to Greg again. Warrick grinned, trailing the backs of his fingers down the side of Greg's face as he pulled back. He would kiss Greg more thoroughly later, once they were positioned more comfortably. Right now, Nick was the one at lip-level with Greg. That was okay. For the time being, Warrick would be satisfied to watch.

 

And touch. Warrick didn't act right away, instead leaning his head back to enjoy the way Nick's fingers were still tangled in Warrick's hair even as he kissed Greg, the three of them twined together so intimately and they weren't even completely naked. "You," he heard Nick murmur, eliciting a low chuckle from Greg and a reply of, "You." Warrick wondered if it was a personal kind of communication between them, the way Warrick and Greg shared so many 'matters of opinion' and 'matters of fact' in their private conversations. Warrick was so touched by the moment that he forgot his plan to touch Greg.

 

In the end, they were all satisfied with kisses, as simple as that. Since Greg had spent so much time face to face with Nick to kiss him, Warrick got the privilege of having Greg face him when they slid under the covers at the end of their afternoon. For the first time since they'd started sleeping together, instead of just wrapping his arm around Greg's waist, Warrick let his arm simply rest on Greg's side so he could put part of his arm around Nick, too. Nick met his eyes with a smile over Greg's head, and Warrick smiled back, more content than he'd felt in a long time.

 

This felt perfect, but Warrick didn't second-guess himself for waiting so long. As awkwardly as it had begun, Warrick knew it would've been worse if they hadn't taken the time to get comfortable with their respective roles in Greg's life, letting their friendship develop even more around their mutual lover.

 

Next to him, Greg sighed sleepily, bringing a hand up to trace Warrick's sideburns, then his jaw. Warrick smiled down at him, combing the fingers of his free hand through the softened spikes of Greg's hair. They weren't saying any words, but Warrick could feel Greg's love, the way it wrapped around him like the blanket that covered them all. And that, Warrick thought, was why all the obstacles they'd surpassed had been worth it.


End file.
